Recaps

Danzo confessed to unauthorized experiments using living children and civilians, while the Uchiha Clan and Forest Street attacked Root headquarters and exposed its records. At the Hokage Building, Orochimaru challenged Danzo’s attempt to take sole blame by revealing the full scale of Root’s crimes and demanding the victims be honored.

• Danzo told Hiruzen Sarutobi that his unauthorized experiments had been exposed and admitted that he had used living people, including civilians from the Land of Fire.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Akashi Uchiha and Ranwu had raided Root’s laboratory, secured experimental records and test subjects, and involved the younger Ino-Shika-Cho generation.
• Uchiha Clan and Forest Street fighters broke into Root headquarters, where Jiancheng used his Sharingan to seize classified intelligence from Root ninja trying to destroy records.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi brought Danzo to the Hokage Building, where Orochimaru and Tsunade explained that Jiraiya had found an illegal laboratory and that at least a hundred children had died in its experiments.
• Danzo admitted to the crimes but claimed sole responsibility and warned that Konoha must not be divided; Orochimaru countered by citing village massacres and falsified adoption records, and demanded that the victims be honored.

Orochimaru turned the jonin against Shimura Danzō by framing Root’s crimes as Danzo’s responsibility, while Danzo tried to manipulate the dispute to protect himself and Root. At Root headquarters, Canglan backed the Uchiha Clan, and Orochimaru defused the standoff between Jiancheng and Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving Danzo’s schemes thwarted.

• Fujirō Namiashi and other commoner ninja rejected Danzo’s claim that his crimes were sacrifices for Konoha and demanded that he answer for them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo rushed to Root headquarters after a crash and continued fighting signaled that the conflict there had not stopped.
• Hiruzen found Jiancheng facing him at Root headquarters, where Danzo accused the Uchiha Clan of attacking Konoha’s covert unit.
• Canglan said Forest Street had also helped suppress Root’s violent resistance, disrupting Danzo’s attempt to blame the Uchiha Clan alone.
• Orochimaru warned Jiancheng to conserve his dojutsu power, and Jiancheng dispelled Susanoo, easing the standoff with Hiruzen.

Hiruzen Sarutobi convened Konoha’s jonin to discuss Shimura Danzō’s atrocities and the fate of Root, while the clans argued over whether Danzō should be executed. The meeting was interrupted by news from the Kannabi Bridge Frontline that Aburame Ryoma had died and the remaining Root ninja had surrendered.

• Konoha’s forces maintained order as the Uchiha Clan explained that the disturbance came from Shimura Danzō resisting arrest, and the Shimura Clan joined the meeting after denying involvement.
• Orochimaru reported that Jiraiya had found no evidence of the Shimura Clan’s involvement, and Hiruzen Sarutobi praised the clan for avoiding internal conflict.
• Kensho Uchiha and other jonin demanded Danzō’s execution, while Orochimaru urged the meeting to consider the Shimura Clan’s view; Shimura Yama and Shimura Kumo disowned Danzō and supported executing him.
• Hyuga Jisuke argued that the Shimura Clan’s achievements should be considered, but Akimichi Clan Cho-sai and Aburame Shikō rejected special treatment for clans.
• An Anbu reported that Aburame Ryoma had died charging the enemy at the Kannabi Bridge Frontline and that the other Root ninja had surrendered for investigation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Root ninja Aburame Ryoma had died attacking the Stone Ninja, then faced pressure to let the Jonin Meeting oversee Root and other secret departments. Orochimaru proposed an Elders' Council to check the Hokage's authority, leaving Hiruzen to understand that sparing Shimura Danzō would require sacrificing some of his power.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi heard that Aburame Ryoma had charged the Shattered Sand Camp and been killed by Stone Ninja jonin.
• Aburame Shikō called Ryoma's death deserved, and Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject rather than defend him.
• Jiancheng pushed for the Konoha Military Police Force to investigate Root, while Orochimaru and the jonin backed oversight of secret departments by the Jonin Meeting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi tasked Orochimaru with drafting regulations for oversight after the jonin supported his proposal.
• Orochimaru proposed an Elders' Council chosen through the Jonin Meeting to take over the Hokage aides' duties and oversee special departments.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi realized Orochimaru would spare Shimura Danzō only if some of the Hokage's power was buried with him.

Akaseki returned to Konoha with captured Root members and evidence, while villagers condemned Root and praised him. The village had dismantled Root and established an elder system, but Shimura Danzō’s fate remained undecided as Akaseki returned to the Uchiha Clan grounds.

• Akaseki escorted the captured Root members back to Konoha, where villagers cursed them and praised him.
• Canglan took responsibility for the baby from the successful wood release experiment, and Jiraiya brought him to Forest Street.
• Ranwu brought the white-haired boy back to the village, and Jiraiya and Ranwu returned to Forest Street with the others.
• Akaseki learned that Konoha had established eight elder seats, with an election for four of them scheduled for the next Jonin Meeting.
• A Jie and A Yang told Akaseki that Shimura Danzō would remain alive until the Hokage and the confirmed elders decided his fate.

Akaseki discussed Shimura Danzō’s fate and Konoha’s upcoming Elder election over a meal with Ranwu, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza. The conversation ended with Akaseki realizing that Jiraiya’s attachment to Yamato might give him an opportunity.

• Ranwu angrily demanded that the Third execute Shimura Danzō, while Akaseki and the others argued that keeping him alive would help the investigation into Root and serve as a political target.
• Akaseki said he would not run for Elder, and the group discussed likely candidates, including Canglan and Hyuga Jisuke.
• Inoichi explained why Canglan counted as a commoner ninja, while Shikaku noted that clan-born Jonin were likely to give Hyuga Jisuke votes.
• Ranwu said Jiraiya had declined to run and was staying on Forest Street to care for Yamato, whom Tsunade had named in hopes that clans and commoners would live as one family.
• Akaseki grew interested when he learned that Jiraiya was looking after Yamato.

Akaseki discussed the Elder election and Uchiha voting strategy with Shikaku, Choza, Ranwu, and Miroku, then investigated renewed disappearances in Tanzaku Town. He suspected someone was exploiting the confusion around Root and took Miroku and Ranwu to the Konoha Military Police Force to inspect its files.

• Shikaku explained why the Hatake and Kato families counted as shinobi clans rather than commoners, while Akaseki asked the Ino-Shika-Cho who would run and learned Shikaku's father would register.
• Miroku suggested that Akaseki use Uchiha votes to challenge the Hyuga, but Akaseki chose to support two commoner candidates instead.
• A Jie and A Yang told Akaseki that people, including Konoha ninja, had disappeared again in Tanzaku Town after they had blamed the earlier incidents on Root.
• Akaseki wondered whether Root remnants or someone framing them was responsible and headed to the Konoha Military Police Force to examine its files.
• Ranwu joined Akaseki and Miroku, and the guard let both women enter after Akaseki asked whether they counted as Uchiha.

Akaseki investigated the missing traveling merchants in Tanzaku Town and found that the cases shared suspicious patterns: the merchants were first-time guests who carried small goods and left their inns on their own. He went to the town’s law enforcement office to inspect its records, where a constable questioned his authority because another Konoha team had already investigated.

• Akaseki reviewed the Konoha Military Police Force files and learned that more than twenty traveling merchants and two Konoha teams had gone missing near Tanzaku Town.
• Gongzhi Jiu learned that Akaseki had visited with Ranwu and Miroku, then warned the guards not to spread gossip about them.
• Akaseki, Ranwu, and Miroku traveled to Tanzaku Town, where Akaseki registered himself and Ranwu as being on a Military Police Force mission.
• At the Clearwind Inn, Akaseki learned that three missing merchants had left on their own, left their luggage behind, and were all unfamiliar guests who sold cordyceps, pearls, or ginseng.
• After checking more inns, Akaseki noticed that the missing merchants were first-time guests selling small goods and decided to examine the law enforcement team’s registration records.
• A constable hesitated to let Akaseki into the Government Office because another Konoha team had previously investigated the missing merchants, so Akaseki showed his Ninja Handbook.

Akaseki joined Kakashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Namiashi Raidō in Tanzaku Town to investigate a string of disappearances. After questioning the young Genin about their findings, he and Kakashi suspected the missing people were linked to inns that had not reported anyone missing.

• A constable recognized Akaseki and escorted him to the records room, where the sheriff welcomed him.
• Akaseki discovered that Kakashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Namiashi Raidō had accepted the investigation mission without a Jonin instructor and scolded them for taking the risk.
• Namiashi Raidō explained that twenty-two apparent traveling merchants and six Konoha ninja had disappeared, while Kakashi suggested the merchants might have used false identities.
• Akaseki challenged the team's theories and asked what the half-month lull in disappearances indicated.
• Kakashi examined the records and pointed out that many inns had filed no reports, suggesting the disappearances might have shifted to inns unwilling to report them.

Akaseki took charge of the Tanzaku Town disappearances investigation and concluded that the missing travelers were likely ordinary people who had vanished voluntarily while pursuing something dangerous. Clues in their belongings suggested they were deliberately avoiding any connection to the Land of Hot Water, leading Akaseki to suspect the Jashin Cult and summon Old Wang to inspect the evidence.

• Akaseki told the Three Youngsters to report the case, raise its rank, and wait for reinforcements, then sent them to question inns that had not reported disappearances as bait.
• Akaseki and Ranwu examined the missing travelers' unclaimed belongings and found no signs that the travelers had been ninja.
• Ranwu identified a garment made from hemp associated with the Land of Rivers, and Akaseki noticed that the missing travelers had claimed origins in places with lax inspections but none had named the Land of Hot Water.
• Miroku questioned why anyone would carry out illicit activity so close to Konoha, and Akaseki summoned Old Wang to search the belongings for strange auras connected to the Jashin Cult.

Akaseki suspected the disappearances in Tanzaku Town were connected to the Jashin Cult, whose followers could be hiding among traveling merchants. Miroku traced people between inns and discovered that some had moved to the Firewood Inn, where three children were staying.

• Hell Yama King said he could recognize followers from Ritual Envoys upward only by seeing them, prompting Akaseki to recall the Jashin Cult’s ranks and rituals.
• Akaseki told Ranwu and Miroku about the Jashin Cult and proposed that the missing people were Defilers gathering for advancement while other followers hid in Tanzaku Town.
• Ranwu reasoned that Jashin Cult members would move from inns reporting disappearances to inns that did not, and Akaseki agreed this could explain the pattern.
• Miroku used his Byakugan to inspect inn ledgers remotely and trace the registered names of people who had checked out.
• Miroku found that some of the people had moved to the Firewood Inn, where three children were staying.

Kakashi, Namiashi Raidō, and Aoba followed suspicious merchants from Tanzaku Town and discovered a gathering of masked Jashin Cult followers preparing for a disturbing ritual. As the cultists turned toward the trio’s hiding place, the children were exposed.

• Kakashi, Namiashi Raidō, and Aoba checked into the Firewood Inn in disguise and decided to follow three merchants who left after dinner.
• Kakashi tailed a red-haired merchant who donned a Bone Mask and slipped out of Tanzaku Town toward a forest.
• Raidō and Aoba followed their own suspicious merchants, and the three reunited near a cave where masked figures were gathering.
• The gathering grew to thirty-one cloaked people, many carrying weapons and torture tools, while one man prematurely drove a Triangular Spike into his thigh.
• Kakashi, Namiashi Raidō, and Aoba realized the cultists were preparing for a self-mutilation ritual, then watched as the masked figures turned toward their hiding place.

Kakashi and his teammates were overwhelmed by a masked attacker until Akaseki intervened and recognized the spirit controlling him as Dan Katō. Akaseki confronted Dan over his allegiance to Jashin, and their fight resumed with Dan trying to possess him.

• Kakashi, Namiashi Raidō, and Aoba Yamashiro fought the masked figures, but the man with the pliers suddenly displayed powerful taijutsu and attacked them with a chain.
• Akaseki arrived, pinned the chain with three kunai, and trapped the battlefield inside Fivefold Rashomon after the masked man collapsed.
• Akaseki recognized Dan Katō’s spirit and deduced that Dan had been spreading the Jashin Cult and directing promising followers toward Konoha.
• Dan said Jashin’s power had restored his ability to fight, while Akaseki asked what price he had paid and attacked him with Sharingan Genjutsu.
• Dan escaped the genjutsu and tried to possess Akaseki, but Akaseki entered Sage Mode and repelled him.

Akaseki trapped Dan Katō’s spirit body with Fivefold Rashomon and used Sage Mode and Sharingan genjutsu to counter his attacks. Dan Katō then summoned his own body to the battlefield, leaving Akaseki facing a new threat.

• Dan Katō’s spirit body failed to possess Akaseki, whose Sage Mode protected him from possession and internal attacks.
• Akaseki used Sharingan genjutsu to damage Dan Katō’s spirit body as Kakashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Namiashi Raidō watched the sealing barrier ripple.
• Akaseki summoned Fivefold Rashomon and trapped Dan Katō’s spirit body, explaining that it could not escape the gates.
• Dan Katō admitted he had been blessed by Jashin and challenged Akaseki over how long he could maintain the seal.
• Dan Katō formed summoning seals and used the Dark art: Summoning Technique to bring his body to the battlefield.

Akaseki fought Dan Katō, whose Spirit Transformation Technique and undying curse let him attack through an invisible spirit body and restore his damaged flesh. Dan Katō escaped after telling Akaseki that the missing Konoha ninja were alive, and Akaseki reunited with Tsunade and Ranwu while the rescued comrades were brought out.

• Dan Katō summoned his body to the sealed gathering place, revealed his undying body, and struck Akaseki with a spirit-body punch.
• Akaseki countered Dan Katō with Susanoo and an enormous Fire Style attack, while Kakashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Namiashi Raidō recognized Dan Katō as a Konoha Jonin.
• As the flames began burning him, Dan Katō begged Akaseki to reconcile and claimed he had not killed their missing Konoha comrades.
• Earlier, Tsunade and Ranwu found Dan Katō using the Spirit Transformation Technique at the Kato House, but his body was summoned away before they could stop him.
• Tsunade and Ranwu reached the gathering place, where Akaseki said Dan Katō had left and Mirror Akasekis brought out six sealed, unconscious Konoha ninja.

Akaseki explained to Hiruzen Sarutobi how Dan Katō had escaped and described how his Spirit Transformation Technique and Jashin's power let him recruit followers covertly across great distances. Hiruzen ordered the cult followers rehabilitated and chose not to demand compensation, while Akaseki suggested blaming the incident on Root.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Akaseki about releasing Dan Katō, and Akaseki said he had let him go in exchange for the lives of six sealed comrades.
• Akaseki explained that Dan Katō could sense resentment toward life across vast distances, recruit isolated followers, and create small clusters that were difficult to detect.
• Akaseki told Hiruzen that warning signs existed but investigating them across the shinobi world would be costly, and he noted that Konoha could avoid public scrutiny by not revealing the Jashin Cult's role.
• Akaseki reported that Tsunade had said the six rescued comrades would recover, and that the captured cult followers believed Jashin himself had guided them.
• Hiruzen ordered the followers rehabilitated and refused to demand compensation from their families, while Akaseki suggested blaming the incident on Root.

Akaseki entered a cultivation-themed Immersion as Hong Yan, a Golden Core cultivator who bought South Mountain Town’s spirit fruit to repay an old kindness. When Gu Lingxi accused him of cheating the farmers and led them to sell directly to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, their plan fell apart, while Akaseki’s Immersion ended with Gu Lingxi still denouncing Hong Yan.

• Konoha kept pressing Iwagakure toward a ceasefire as the village prepared to elect four Elders on May 1.
• Akaseki entered a new Immersion and discovered he was Hong Yan, a Golden Core cultivator who had bought spirit fruit for a hundred years to repay an elderly couple’s kindness.
• Gu Lingxi accused Hong Yan of pocketing the price difference, and the farmers abandoned him after he explained that the Myriad Treasures Pavilion’s higher price applied only to premium fruit.
• Gu Lingxi persuaded the farmers to pool money for the Teleportation Array and took their fruit to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, where Elder Zhang accepted only a small portion as premium.
• Gu Lingxi led the farmers in blocking the pavilion entrance, so the Disciplinary Hall expelled her and Elder Zhang crippled her dantian.
• The farmers began to suspect they had misjudged Hong Yan, but Gu Lingxi sprang up and continued accusing him and Elder Zhang as Akaseki’s first stretch of Immersion ended.

Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the Elders' Council election results, with Canglan, Nara Luzang, Hyuga Jisuke, and Fujirō Namiashi elected. After Akaseki stirred tensions between the Uchiha and Hyuga, the missing votes left the jonin wondering whether a comrade had died at the front.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Canglan as the top vote-getter and Nara Luzang as the runner-up, prompting the Uchiha to taunt the Hyuga over Hyuga Jisuke's lower ranking.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Hyuga Jisuke's election as Akaseki let the Uchiha frame their refusal to vote for him as principled fairness.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Fujirō Namiashi the fourth Elder, and Akaseki kept the Uchiha from insulting him because of his ties to Kagami Uchiha.
• Akaseki noticed that several Uchiha candidates had received zero votes and answered a Hyuga elder's mockery with a pointed remark about Minato.
• The jonin noticed that the announced vote totals were three short, and they feared a comrade had fallen at the front.

Hiruzen Sarutobi informed the Jonin that Dan Katō had defected to the Jashin Cult and ordered them to report any encounter without attacking. The new Elders' Council debated Root's fate, agreeing on how to transfer its missions and handle its members but postponing a decision on Shimura Danzō.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Dan Katō had joined the Jashin Cult, and Tsunade confirmed there had been no misunderstanding about his defection.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned the Jonin that Dan Katō was dangerous and told them to report any encounter rather than attack him.
• Kensho Uchiha proposed executing Shimura Danzō and investigating Root, while Mitokado argued for a gradual transition and Orochimaru suggested using Impure World Reincarnation to interrogate Danzō.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared Impure World Reincarnation forbidden, and Canglan, Orochimaru, and Hyuga Jisuke blocked Utatane Koharu's attempt to discuss Root's successful Wood Release experiment.
• The Elders' Council agreed to transfer Root's unfinished missions to the Anbu or police force and investigate exposed members while sealing the files of those who had done nothing.
• The Elders' Council failed to agree on Shimura Danzō's fate, and Kensho Uchiha agreed to revisit it after Root's missions were allocated.

After Konoha signed a ceasefire with Iwagakure, Jiancheng discussed Root’s dismantling and the police force’s expanded responsibilities with Akaseki and Chizuru. They left him urging the Uchiha to recruit capable ninja from outside the clan while keeping control of the force.

• Konoha signed a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure on May 30, ending its active war with every hidden village.
• Jiancheng complained that Shimura Danzō had survived and that the Elders’ Council had allowed Root’s seals to remain in place under Anbu control.
• Jiancheng said Root’s preliminary investigations were nearly finished, and Chizuru persuaded him not to pursue Root’s lesser-involved members too harshly.
• Akaseki warned Jiancheng that the expanded police force lacked enough personnel, but Jiancheng said the Uchiha had few academy students ready to graduate.
• Akaseki urged Jiancheng to recruit other ninja and gradually form separate internal and external divisions, while keeping the Uchiha in charge.

Akaseki visited Kushina with Minato and Ranwu, where he proposed helping Kushina communicate with the Nine-Tails. Hiruzen learned of the proposal from Tian Lu and recognized that Akaseki had been indirectly seeking his permission.

• Jiancheng teased Akaseki about future children, then suggested recruiting Forest Street ninja for the Uchiha Clan and hinted at good news for the Jonin Meeting.
• Akaseki, Minato, and Ranwu shared a meal with Kushina at the Uzumaki Residence while Anbu watched them from the shadows.
• Akaseki asked Kushina whether the Nine-Tails had revealed its name, then offered to enter her consciousness space and speak with it.
• Tian Lu interrupted Kushina's agreement, and after the visitors left, she reported Akaseki's proposal to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen told Tian Lu that Akaseki had raised the matter openly and reminded her to treat Konoha's war hero with proper respect.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisors approved letting Akaseki help Kushina control the Nine-Tails, and Konoha held its first regular Jonin Meeting since peace with Iwagakure. Hiruzen announced wartime compensation and began recognizing shinobi for their service, starting with Uchiha Orochimaru.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Akaseki's advice about helping Kushina control the Nine-Tails and ordered Tian Lu to supervise her progress.
• Hiruzen persuaded Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu to let Akaseki try his approach, with formal approval postponed until the next regular meeting.
• Konoha held its first regular Jonin Meeting since the war, where Hiruzen discussed Root and celebrated the peace agreement with Iwagakure.
• Hiruzen announced a compensation plan for fallen shinobi's families and the care of orphans, while the Uchiha claimed credit for helping fund it.
• Hiruzen began announcing promotions and rewards, then corrected himself to recognize Uchiha Orochimaru as the wartime commander-in-chief.

At the Jonin Meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced wartime contributions and promoted Akaseki to elite jonin, making him Konoha’s youngest at eighteen. After celebrating the promotion, Akaseki decided to take Ranwu and Minato to find Kushina and try to meet the Nine-Tails.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the wartime tallies and promoted Yamanaka Weiyi and other high-contributing jonin to elite jonin.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi promoted Akashi Uchiha, whose S-rank missions placed him fourth by that measure, to elite jonin.
• Akaseki accepted congratulations and teased Ranwu and Minato about his record as Konoha’s youngest elite jonin.
• A Jie asked whether Akaseki could issue A-rank missions, and Akaseki clarified the limits of his authority as an elite jonin.
• Akaseki proposed finding Kushina so she could attend Hiruzen Sarutobi’s victory speech, and he intended to meet the Nine-Tails in her consciousness space.

Akaseki entered Kushina’s consciousness to persuade the Nine-Tails to cooperate with her, claiming the Sage of Six Paths had made him the Third Ninshu. He left Kushina and the Nine-Tails ready to fight together, with the fox sharing some of its power.

• Akaseki used his Sharingan to enter Kushina’s consciousness and met the sealed Nine-Tails.
• Akaseki claimed the Sage of Six Paths had chosen him as the Third Ninshu and urged the Nine-Tails to become his follower.
• Akaseki provoked the Nine-Tails by comparing it unfavorably with the other tailed beasts, then offered it a chance to rank above Shukaku.
• Kushina appeared after sensing the Nine-Tails’ chakra flare, and she challenged it to fight Akaseki alongside her without releasing it from the seal.
• The Nine-Tails’ chakra flowed through the bars and merged with Kushina’s red hair, giving her some of its power.

Akaseki sparred with Kushina in her consciousness space as she and the Nine-Tails tried to build a bond, but the Nine-Tails’ chakra pushed Kushina toward losing control. Kushina sealed the Nine-Tails back with her chains, leaving her six-tailed cloak unusable for now.

• Kushina entered a three-tailed Tailed Beast Cloak and fought Akaseki’s first-stage Susanoo, cracking its ribs before Akaseki formed a sturdier second stage.
• Kushina’s cloak intensified to four tails, and Akaseki checked her physical condition through a mirror clone while Ranwu treated her chakra-corroded skin.
• Kushina’s four-tailed attacks began scorching Akaseki’s second-stage Susanoo, and she used strange chakra limbs to restrain it.
• Kushina advanced to a six-tailed Tailed Beast Cloak, where chakra bones appeared and Akaseki sensed something was wrong.
• The Nine-Tails tried to seize more control, but Kushina bound her tails and body with eight golden chains and forced it back, confirming she could not yet safely use the six-tailed cloak.