Recaps

Akaseki confronted Aburame Ryoma in Hiruko’s secret base, while Ryoma tried to kill Hiruko and conceal Root’s involvement. Hiruko revealed that seven captives were still in the laboratory, and Akaseki seized him as the group prepared to rescue them.

• Ryoma’s Kikaichū attacked Hiruko until Akaseki’s Susanoo arrived and scattered the insects with a blast of fire.
• Akaseki accused Ryoma of working with Root and attacked him, while Ryoma decided to keep pursuing Hiruko rather than flee.
• Hiruko urged Ryoma to join forces against Akaseki, but Ryoma continued dodging and attacking him as Akaseki framed their conflict as proof of their collusion.
• Ranwu and Nonō helped Kurama Murakumo wake, and Akaseki told them to rescue the abducted villagers while he handled the fight.
• Hiruko threatened that the laboratory would self-destruct and kill seven captives if he died, so Akaseki grabbed him and reacted angrily to the revelation.

Akaseki forced Hiruko to open his secret laboratory while Ranwu and Akaseki drove Aburame Ryoma into retreat. The group rescued seven missing ninja, learned that two of Rin’s teammates had been killed, and prepared to take Hiruko back to the village while suspecting he had accomplices there.

• Akaseki threatened Hiruko into surrendering the laboratory and dismissed Aburame Ryoma’s objections, while Vermilion Bird Tanuki Treasure arrived.
• Aburame Ryoma attempted to attack, but Ranwu struck him with a Water Style technique as Akaseki’s Mirror Clone attacked, forcing him to flee.
• Hiruko opened the laboratory, where Kurama Murakumo and the others found seven restrained missing ninja, including Rin and Kōken.
• Rin revealed that her teammates Ahu and Xiao Lin were dead, and Kurama Murakumo confronted Hiruko in anger.
• Akaseki stopped Kurama Murakumo from retaliating and ordered him to take Hiruko back to the village, warning that Hiruko likely had accomplices there.

Akaseki returned to Konoha with Hiruko and the rescued ninja as rumors about Hiruko’s crimes and possible accomplices spread through the village. In the Hokage’s office, Akaseki accused Aburame Ryoma of being Hiruko’s accomplice, but Hiruzen Sarutobi offered a cover story for Root and promised Hiruko would be interrogated.

• Nonō discovered poison in the food on the return journey, and Akaseki found the cook dead; further attacks targeted Hiruko until clan ninja joined the escort.
• Akaseki’s group and the rescued ninja’s families spread news of Hiruko’s crimes and unidentified accomplices while the Konoha Military Police Force suppressed accusations against the Anbu and Root.
• On November 8, Akaseki returned to Konoha with Hiruko, who was pelted with rotten eggs and shouted insults at the crowd before Ranwu struck him into silence.
• At the Hokage Office, Akaseki accused Aburame Ryoma of being Hiruko’s accomplice, while Shimura Danzō claimed Ryoma had been investigating the disappearances.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said he had secretly assigned Root to investigate and framed Ryoma’s presence at Hiruko’s base as a coincidence; Akaseki then demanded that a Yamanaka interrogate Hiruko about his accomplices.

After Hiruko’s capture, Akaseki’s accusations put Root and Danzo under suspicion, while Hiruzen Sarutobi avoided a public reckoning and refused clan-led interrogation. At the first postwar Jonin Meeting, Yamanaka Chenyi and others challenged Hiruzen’s account, and Jiancheng pressed him about the demon god’s seal.

• Root killed an archives ninja who tried to flee Konoha, offering a partial explanation for how Hiruko obtained mission information.
• Danzo admitted to Hiruzen Sarutobi that he had cultivated Hiruko, but denied supporting his crimes; Hiruzen concealed Root’s connection and rejected Akaseki’s request for Yamanaka interrogation.
• Akaseki returned to the clan grounds and told Jiancheng that Hiruzen’s response matched his expectations, while rumors began blaming the Ino-Shika-Cho clans for Hiruko’s crimes.
• Yamanaka Chenyi offered to help interrogate Hiruko at the Jonin Meeting, but Hiruzen said the case was settled and denied that Hiruko had an accomplice.
• Lu Zang asked how Hiruko had gained strength, and Hiruzen claimed Hiruko had found an ancient demon god’s seal in the Land of Earth.
• Jiancheng offered the Uchiha Clan’s help investigating the seal and asked where it was.

After Danzo’s handling of Hiruko’s memories made the Jonin suspicious, Hiruzen authorized the Uchiha and Hyuga clans to search for the Demon God’s seal. The clans agreed to search separately, and both prepared teams to depart, unaware that Akaseki’s group was also pursuing a hidden reward.

• Danzo blocked Yamanaka Chenyi from inspecting Hiruko’s memories, prompting Nara Luzang to question who would lead the search and suggest involving the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
• Hiruzen relented under the Jonin’s scrutiny, and Jiancheng pledged that the Uchiha Clan would prioritize resealing the Demon God rather than exploiting its power.
• At a meeting between Kensho Uchiha and Hyuga Jisuke, the clans agreed to search separately after Kensho named Akaseki a candidate for the Uchiha leadership.
• Jiancheng assigned Akaseki to find the seal ahead of the Hyuga Clan and Root while keeping the reward secret.
• Hyuga Jisuke selected Hiashi to lead the Hyuga team, accepted Hizashi’s offer to join, and received volunteers from several branch-family elders.
• On December 2, orders arrived allowing both clans to begin searching the mountain range.

Akaseki reached the search area with twelve young Uchiha and joined forces with Miroku to find the Chimera Demon God's sealing site. He left his clansmen to mislead the Hyuga and watch Root, then proposed asking Mahashri's uncle to help remove the Caged Bird in exchange for greater access to Mahashri's power.

• Akaseki brought twelve Uchiha to Kusagakure, rested there, and visited Torifu Akimichi at Kannabi Bridge before heading northwest.
• Akaseki told his clansmen that Miroku would search for the sealing site while they rested and created false clues to mislead the Hyuga and monitor Root.
• Miroku arrived on Tanuki Treasure in Vermilion Bird form, and she and Akaseki set off to search using her ability to channel Mahashri's chakra.
• Akaseki explained that the Hyuga had lost their knowledge of Sealing Techniques, so they would struggle to identify fake seals.
• Miroku relayed that Mahashri could not help the Hyuga remove the Caged Bird, and Akaseki proposed asking her uncle for help in return for greater access to her power.

Miroku and Akaseki searched the mountains for a sealed site and encountered Stone Ninja led by Roshi, whose chakra Miroku examined from afar. After she and Akaseki withdrew, Roshi suspected a Hyuga was watching him, but could not locate them.

• Miroku explained that her Byakugan came from being Mahashri’s chakra reincarnation, and that Miko usually died soon after bearing the next generation’s daughter.
• Miroku detected several Stone Ninja squads searching the mountains, and she and Akaseki went to investigate.
• Akaseki urged Miroku to focus her dojutsu on a perceptive Stone Ninja, and she identified him as the red-haired, red-bearded Roshi by his appearance and volatile chakra.
• When Roshi began heading toward them, Akaseki led Miroku away rather than risk fighting four Stone Ninja squads without nearby allies.
• Roshi told Dong Shiren that the unseen watcher seemed to be from Konoha’s Hyuga Clan, but he failed to find them.

Akaseki uncovered why Iwagakure’s squads were searching the mountains and set explosive tags on them, then confronted Roshi after detonating the charges. He began fighting Roshi’s Four-Tails, dodging its attacks and sending a mirror image into Roshi’s consciousness.

• Akaseki used his Sharingan genjutsu to question three Stone Ninja and learned that Iwagakure was searching for a treasure that could grant ordinary people kekkei genkai.
• Akaseki learned that Iwagakure’s search followed an attack by Half-Beasts and suspected Chimera was behind the new incident.
• Akaseki put explosive tags on four of Iwagakure’s squads, then detonated them after Miroku warned that Roshi had noticed something.
• Roshi transformed into the Four-Tails and charged toward the explosions while Akaseki sent Miroku to hide.
• Akaseki struck Roshi with Susanoo’s Thunderfire Greatsword, dodged a Tailed Beast Ball, and evaded or cleaved apart Roshi’s lava attacks.
• Akaseki used the Mirror Clone Technique to send an image of himself into Roshi’s consciousness.

Akaseki entered Roshi’s consciousness and tried to turn the Four-Tails against him by claiming the Sage of Six Paths had chosen him to revive Ninshu. The Four-Tails remained unconvinced, but Akaseki’s meddling widened the strain between Roshi and the beast before he withdrew from their battle.

• Akaseki invaded Roshi’s consciousness, but Roshi and the Four-Tails’ cooperation made the mental realm difficult to attack.
• Akaseki claimed the Sage of Six Paths had chosen him as the new Ninshu and used the Ame-no-Hoko Mark to support his story.
• The Four-Tails questioned Akaseki about Mahashri and its own name, then struck apart his consciousness avatar when he guessed “Sun... Number Four.”
• Akaseki accused Roshi of risking the revival of Ninshu by tattling, while Roshi insisted he respected Ōnoki and called Akaseki one of Iwagakure’s greatest enemies.
• Akaseki’s Susanoo held its own against Roshi’s transformed body, but Akaseki withdrew when his endurance began to lag.
• Roshi could not stop Akaseki from leaving and felt that his differences with the Four-Tails had grown.

Roshi fled toward the Land of Earth while Akaseki pursued him, but Akaseki eventually broke off before risking a battle near Iwagakure. After resuming their search for Chimera, Akaseki learned from Miroku that its Wood Release seal fluctuated during the full moon and wondered whether its fusion ability affected the Byakugan.

• Roshi was ambushed by Akaseki’s Susanoo, clashed with him, and then retreated toward the Land of Earth with his teammates.
• Roshi sensed the Hyuga observer tracking him, pushed his team through the night, and sent his teammates in separate directions while Akaseki continued following him.
• Akaseki stopped the pursuit near the Land of Earth and returned with Miroku, having carried her throughout the chase.
• On December 14, Akaseki and Miroku searched for Chimera but found nothing, and Miroku suggested that its seal might reveal its presence only periodically.
• Miroku said Mahashri had revealed that Chimera’s seal relied on Wood Release and fluctuated during the full moon, prompting Akaseki to ask whether its fusion ability had an additional effect on the Byakugan.

Akaseki and Hizashi entered a moon-responsive seal hidden inside a twisted tree at Mount Sumeru, after finding that Hyuga shinobi had discovered it too. Inside the seal, Akaseki warned Hizashi that he should have stayed outside, but Hizashi said he refused to let the divide between the Hyuga Main and Branch Families control his choices.

• Miroku detected unusual fluctuations at Mount Sumeru and spotted three Hyuga shinobi investigating the seal.
• Akaseki approached Hizashi, Jian, and Iroha, then insisted on entering the seal despite the Hyuga clan leader not having arrived.
• Hizashi chose to accompany Akaseki, while Jian and Iroha stayed outside to wait for the clan leader.
• Akaseki sent a Mirror Clone into the twisted tree's hollow before following with Hizashi, and they found another world inside.
• Akaseki told Hizashi that he should not have entered, but Hizashi said he would not let the Main Family and Branch Family divide rule his heart.

Akaseki and Hizashi entered the seal’s cave network, fought Chimera’s One-Eyed Tree People, and traced their Chakra Threads to Chimera’s restrained body. Chimera recognized Hizashi as a descendant of Hamura and offered Akaseki power to transcend his bloodline, but Akaseki attacked before it could explain further.

• Akaseki and Hizashi explored the cave passage after Akaseki confirmed Chimera was inside the seal.
• A root-like monster ambushed Akaseki’s Mirror Clone, and Akaseki and Hizashi emerged into a chamber filled with One-Eyed Tree People.
• Hizashi found Chakra Threads leading deeper into the seal, while Akaseki used Swamp Release to destroy the tree people and realized they were drawing on the seal’s power.
• Akaseki and Hizashi followed the threads to Chimera, which was pinned by roots but had begun merging with them.
• Chimera addressed Hizashi as a descendant of Hamura and offered Akaseki a way to transcend his bloodline and fuse eternal eyes.
• Akaseki summoned the Ame-no-Hoko Mark and slashed at Chimera.

Akaseki fought Chimera and learned that it had manipulated Uchiha and Hyuga ancestors by offering fusion techniques, including methods for obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Tenseigan. As Chimera hinted that it had also tried to influence Indra and Ashura, Akaseki pressed it about who had engineered the conflicts, while Hizashi warned that it had another plan.

• Akaseki attacked Chimera with the Ame-no-Hoko Sword and inferred that Wood Release had strengthened it.
• Chimera tempted Akaseki with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Tenseigan, unsettling Hizashi with the promise of escaping the Cage Technique.
• Akaseki realized Chimera had helped an Uchiha ancestor discover eye fusion and accused it of manipulating Uchiha and Hyuga clans into fighting and fusing bloodlines.
• Chimera explained that fusing Byakugan could create the Tenseigan and potentially break the Cage Technique, so Hizashi urged Akaseki to act.
• Akaseki asked whether Chimera had tempted Indra and Ashura and who had devised its schemes, while Chimera secretly approached Hizashi.
• Hizashi rejected Chimera's pitch and warned Akaseki that it had another plan.

After Akaseki and Hizashi defeated Chimera, the Sage of Six Paths appeared and offered to help them. He gave Hizashi aid concerning the Caged Bird, but could not awaken Akaseki’s Mangekyō Sharingan or grant him Yang Power, leaving Akaseki to ask for the names of the Nine Tailed Beasts instead.

• Akaseki and Hizashi defeated Chimera, and the Sage of Six Paths appeared after the seal was destroyed.
• Akaseki asked the Sage of Six Paths to help the Hyuga Clan with the Caged Bird, and the Sage sent chakra into Hizashi’s mind.
• Akaseki asked the Sage of Six Paths to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, but the Sage said Akaseki had to awaken it himself.
• Akaseki asked for Yang Power, but the Sage refused and said his clone could only slightly enhance a bloodline or summon a treasured artifact.
• Akaseki asked the Sage of Six Paths to tell him the names of the Nine Tailed Beasts before enhancing his bloodline.

Akaseki spoke with the Sage of Six Paths about the Tailed Beasts, the future, and Hizashi’s Caged Bird seal before the sage’s clone vanished and strengthened Akaseki’s bloodline. Akaseki and Hizashi emerged from the defunct seal to meet Hiashi and the Hyuga Clan members, with Hizashi keeping the sage’s gift to himself.

• Akaseki asked the Sage of Six Paths for the Tailed Beasts’ names, but the sage told him to ask them directly and considered whether Akaseki might earn their trust.
• Akaseki asked whether there could be countless future versions of the Sage of Six Paths, and the sage reassured him that each person with their own thoughts was unique.
• The Sage of Six Paths vanished as his chakra strengthened Akaseki’s bloodline, and he merged the Ame-no-Hoko into the mark on Akaseki’s arm.
• Akaseki urged Hizashi to keep quiet about their encounter, and Hizashi said the Caged Bird seal had come undone and that he had gained hope of dealing with it.
• Akaseki and Hizashi left the defunct seal and met Hiashi and the Hyuga Clan members; Hizashi reported that Akaseki had killed Chimera, and Akaseki rebuked a skeptical Clan Elder.

After destroying the Chimera, Akaseki returned to Konoha with Miroku and reported his mission to Sarutobi. A conversation about marriage and children left Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu wondering how much Akaseki had discussed with Ranwu and Miroku.

• Akaseki told Hiashi and Hizashi that the Sage of Six Paths had asked him to establish a new Ninshu, while Hizashi kept the rest of their encounter secret.
• Hiashi complained to Hizashi about the Hyuga Clan's lack of strength and pride, but Hizashi remained silent.
• Akaseki reunited with Miroku, brought her to Konoha, and reported that he had destroyed the Chimera; Sarutobi praised his work and Koharu questioned him.
• Akaseki said Miroku would stay in Konoha and offered to have her visit Sarutobi, who instead said he would visit her himself.
• When Sarutobi and Koharu raised marriage and Ranwu, Akaseki said he had told Miroku not to have children and blurted out that Konoha would be an Uchiha before correcting himself.

After returning to Konoha, Akaseki reported Hizashi Hyuga’s possible path to undoing the Caged Bird to Jiancheng and attended Natsu’s funeral. The chapter ended with Akaseki and Ranwu discussing the Hyuga clan’s seal and Dan Katō’s absence, while Shizune was left in the care of people on Forest Street.

• Sarutobi questioned Akaseki about a shinobi’s most important qualities, then dismissed him after misunderstanding his relationship with Hikari and Ranwu.
• Akaseki told Jiancheng that Hizashi Hyuga had received guidance that might help him undo the Caged Bird and urged him to keep the information secret.
• Jiancheng mistook Akaseki’s question about Ranwu for a question about Miko Miroku, then told him Natsu had died and that Dan Katō had caused friction.
• Akaseki attended Natsu’s funeral, where Tsunade soothed the grieving Shizune and carried her away.
• Ranwu asked whether Akaseki’s mission had succeeded, and he told her that he and Hizashi had found and destroyed Chimera.
• Akaseki and Ranwu discussed the Caged Bird, then noted Dan Katō’s absence from the funeral and Shizune’s remaining support on Forest Street.

Akaseki canvassed Forest Street Jonin before the vote for Konoha's next Jonin Commander, learning that they planned to vote together for Orochimaru. Their unified vote signaled dissatisfaction with the Hokage Building, leaving the outcome of the election uncertain.

• Akaseki visited Lanjun and used Yugakure's mission arrangements to gain entry to Forest Street.
• Akaseki learned that Nonō was away choosing a site for the orphanage and asked Ranwu whom she would support in the Jonin Commander election.
• Ranwu said Forest Street planned to vote for Orochimaru, after Tsunade and Jiraiya had withdrawn and Torifu Akimichi remained his main rival.
• Akaseki realized Forest Street's Jonin intended to vote as a bloc, a move aimed at expressing their dissatisfaction with the Hokage Building.

Akaseki and Minato gathered votes for the Jonin commander election as the Uchiha Clan and Forest Street coordinated their support for Orochimaru. The anonymous vote began with both groups publicly casting their ballots together, signaling an alliance to the assembled Jonin.

• Akaseki led the Uchiha Jonin to the Hokage Building, carrying ballots from absent and incapacitated clan members.
• Ranwu confirmed that Forest Street had pooled seven Jonin ballots, while Tsunade had arrived separately and was not part of the group.
• Minato returned after collecting ballots from Jonin across several locations, bringing fifteen votes and persuading three Jonin whose missions had encountered trouble.
• The Jonin assembled for the commander election, and Hiruzen Sarutobi sealed the ballot box for an anonymous vote.
• Akaseki and Lanjun stood as representatives of the Uchiha Clan and Forest Street, and Lanjun openly presented their ballots to Orochimaru before voting.

Uchiha Orochimaru narrowly won the Jonin Commander vote, and Torifu Akimichi withdrew, leaving Orochimaru as acting commander. The meeting then turned to Iwagakure, where Orochimaru warned that its ceasefire talks were a ploy to weaken Konoha.

• The Uchiha Clan and Forest Street visibly supported Orochimaru, prompting some Jonin to withhold their votes.
• Orochimaru received 71 votes to Torifu Akimichi’s 69, falling short of the threshold for a permanent appointment.
• Danzo proposed appointing an acting commander, and Yangyong and Lanjun backed Orochimaru for the role.
• Torifu Akimichi withdrew and endorsed Orochimaru, who was appointed Acting Jonin Commander pending a confidence vote in three months.
• Orochimaru warned that Iwagakure was using ceasefire negotiations to weaken Konoha, and Danzo challenged his assessment.

Orochimaru argued that Iwagakure was prolonging the war to exhaust Konoha before a wider conflict, and Hiruzen ordered a new strategy to force a quicker end. The meeting then turned to early graduation at the Ninja Academy, where Kakashi Ki’s possible exam prompted the Uchiha to compete and Orochimaru to insist Obito would not join in.

• Orochimaru warned the Jonin that Iwagakure was wearing Konoha down and that Kumogakure and Kirigakure might join a larger war in the coming years.
• Yangyong challenged Danzo over Root’s secrecy and the conflicting accounts of Kumogakure’s role in the Second Hokage’s death.
• Akaseki redirected the debate toward preparing for Kumogakure, and Hiruzen ordered Orochimaru to propose a new northwest strategy that could include invading the Land of Earth.
• Lanjun asked whether five-year-old Kakashi Ki should be allowed to take the Ninja Academy graduation exam early, and the Uchiha responded by declaring that their own students would apply too.
• Orochimaru objected to the Uchiha’s competitive response and said Obito would not take part.

Kakashi Ki applied to graduate from the Ninja Academy at age five, provoking debate among Konoha’s leaders over child soldiers and the village’s ideals. Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed the application to proceed under stricter examination rules, while Akaseki argued that Kakashi could become a hero like Madara Uchiha.

• Kakashi Ki applied for early graduation after only one year at the Ninja Academy.
• Lanjun argued that Konoha should reject the application and teach that children did not need to go to war to serve the village.
• Akaseki defended Kakashi’s potential, claiming he could measure up to Madara Uchiha at age eight.
• Danzo challenged Akaseki’s comparison, but Akaseki praised the era and linked Kakashi’s prospects to the Third.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed Lanjun to require stricter examinations for students seeking early graduation.

After the Jonin Meeting, Akaseki proposed research clubs and supervised practical missions to give gifted Ninja Academy students more advanced training without requiring their early graduation. As the discussion continued, Tsunade interrupted, arguing that early graduation was being allowed because the war had not ended, not because students had run out of things to learn.

• Lanjun remained angry about the meeting, while Yangyong argued with him over Akaseki's role and Ranwu's visits to the Uchiha Clan's compound.
• Gongzhi Jiu urged Orochimaru to seek early graduation for Obito, but Orochimaru refused because Obito had not met the academy's standards.
• Akaseki suggested research clubs with visiting Jonin instructors, and Qingyan agreed that they could offer gifted students additional training without tying up instructors long term.
• Akaseki proposed letting the clubs undertake supervised practical-training missions, and Qingyan considered how to staff and organize them.
• Tsunade interrupted the discussion and said early graduation was being allowed because the war was ongoing, not because gifted students had nothing left to learn.

Tsunade confronted Akaseki and Orochimaru about Root’s secret Wood Release Experiments and the deaths of orphans. They agreed to work together to protect children and pressure Root into making a mistake, while Akaseki planned to recruit Jiraiya and strengthen cooperation between the Uchiha Clan and Forest Street.

• Tsunade stormed into the Uchiha Clan Compound, seized Akaseki and Orochimaru, and questioned Orochimaru about Hashirama’s cells and Root’s experiments.
• Orochimaru said Danzo had hinted at classified experiments, while Akaseki condemned the Third and Danzo for using the First’s cells and Tsunade struck Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru explained that the shrinking supply of orphans could disrupt Root’s experiments and make it more likely to slip up.
• Akaseki proposed that Forest Street help Nonō establish the Orphanage and track its children while the Uchiha Clan monitored the battlefield for abductions.
• Tsunade decided to inform her relatives and go to the front line, while Akaseki planned to seek Jiraiya’s help and discuss cooperation with returning clan leaders.
• The Uchiha Clan and Forest Street grew closer over the following half month, and rumors spread that the Uchiha Clan was preparing a marriage proposal.

On March 15, Konoha Year 42, the Ninja Academy held a record-sized graduation ceremony as the war depleted its older classes and teachers. Minato Namikaze selected Kakashi Ki, Namiashi Raidō, and Aoba Yamashiro for his new squad, while Sarutobi was left uneasy after Danzo warned that Forest Street might be turning against him.

• Qingyan resigned as executive academy principal, citing the steady loss of students and teachers, and recommended Canglan to lead the academy’s planned reforms.
• Danzo warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that Forest Street was unhappy with him and colluding with the Uchiha Clan, but Hiruzen rejected his accusations and ordered him to leave.
• Hiruzen praised Kakashi Ki during the graduation ceremony and invited Minato Namikaze to choose his students first.
• Minato selected Namiashi Raidō, Aoba Yamashiro, and Kakashi Ki, then took them to Hokage Rock to begin forming his squad.
• Akaseki teased Minato about teaching Kakashi, while Ranwu realized Raidō might resent the Uchiha Clan because it had bullied his family after Kagami’s death.