Recaps

Uzumaki Jiuming fought Madara Uchiha and White Zetsu’s wooden statue on the battlefield while Konoha prepared to seal the Tailed Beasts into newborn Naruto and Karin. Jiuming rescued Yamato from White Zetsu and turned to attack Madara’s Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Uzumaki Jiuming confronted Madara Uchiha and White Zetsu’s True Several Thousand Hands, then charged the wooden statue in his Golden Giant form.
• True Several Thousand Hands attacked Jiuming with five elemental Chakra natures as Madara struck with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared a second barrier and the sealing preparations, while Kushina Uzumaki and Senju Nawaki held newborn Naruto and Karin, who were to become Jinchuriki.
• Jiuming smashed all five heads of True Several Thousand Hands and seized Yamato, ripping him free of White Zetsu and disabling the wooden statue.
• Jiuming’s Golden Giant took a slash from Madara, but Jiuming sealed Yamato inside it and turned to attack the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Uzumaki Kuming and Madara Uchiha fought a decisive battle between their giant forms, but Madara used a summoning technique to inflict sudden pain and turn the fight around. Kuming's giant collapsed, leaving him with fewer than 10 Ka of Chakra as he faced Madara beneath the moonlight.

• Madara Uchiha poured his Chakra into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and aged rapidly as he prepared to fight Uzumaki Kuming.
• Uzumaki Kuming dispelled his other techniques to gather Chakra, and the Nine-Tails willingly lent him power through the seal.
• Madara Uchiha sent the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path against Kuming's red giant, which cut off two of the statue's arms and drove it back.
• Madara Uchiha summoned the sealed Nine-Tails, causing Kuming sudden pain that let the statue's blades pierce and cleave apart his giant.
• Kuming's Adamantine Sealing Chains retracted as his giant collapsed, leaving him with Heavenly Feather Blade and fewer than 10 Ka of Chakra.

Uzumaki Kuming defeated and sealed Madara Uchiha after exploiting the old man's failing strength, then prepared to seal the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. As Konoha shinobi arrived, Nawaki and the others turned on Kuming, while Madara emerged from underground and attacked him.

• Kuming noticed Madara's Susanoo disappearing and inferred that Madara had nearly exhausted his Chakra.
• Kuming used Lightning Release-coated shuriken to create an opening, then attacked Madara with the Heavenly Feather Blade, but a White Zetsu's Spore Technique saved him from the first strike.
• Kuming pierced Madara's chest, and after Black Zetsu fled, he used the Totsuka Blade to seal Madara's body.
• Kuming turned toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but Nawaki attacked him while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and the other Konoha shinobi surrounded him.
• Madara rose from underground as vines trapped Kuming's feet, and Kuming recognized Madara's pale left eye just as the attacks were about to land.

Uzumaki Kuming and Madara Uchiha mortally wounded each other, and White Zetsu struck Kuming as he began to die. Minato Namikaze rescued Kuming before Black Zetsu destroyed the battlefield, leaving Konoha to face a grief-filled morning.

• Madara Uchiha used Izanagi to escape Uzumaki Kuming's Totsuka Blade and, with White Zetsu's help, trapped Kuming in Wood Release.
• Kuming pierced Madara's heart with One-Finger Nukite, but Madara crushed Kuming's throat with Susanoo as White Zetsu stabbed him in the chest.
• Kuming beheaded Madara and collapsed, while White Zetsu waited for him to die.
• Minato Namikaze arrived, defeated the White Zetsu attacking Kuming, and carried him away as Black Zetsu triggered an explosion that consumed the battlefield.
• Minato escaped the blast with Kuming, while Konoha mourned the many lives lost that night.

As rumors spread through Konoha that the Fourth Hokage had died, Tsunade treated the critically wounded Jiuming in secret while Hiruzen and his advisors worried about the village’s security. Jiuming later regained consciousness in his mindscape and learned from the Nine-Tails that he was alive and out of danger.

• Villagers emerged from shelters and spread rumors that the Fourth Hokage had been killed, while some sent word outside Konoha that his whereabouts were unknown.
• Kushina visited the cave where Tsunade treated the unconscious Jiuming and learned that his condition remained critical.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two advisors discussed Jiuming’s injuries and the rumors, then Hiruzen rejected impersonating the Fourth Hokage and prioritized rebuilding Konoha.
• After the visitors left, Kushina watched over Jiuming briefly before returning home to her newborn Naruto.
• Jiuming regained consciousness in his mindscape, where the Nine-Tails told him he was alive and out of danger.

Uzumaki Kuming spoke with the Nine-Tails in his mindscape after Madara Uchiha left him gravely injured. The Nine-Tails offered to heal him if Kuming broke the seal, leaving Kuming to consider whether he could trust the beast and seek a different kind of relationship with him.

• The Nine-Tails told Uzumaki Kuming that his injuries would soon kill him and that Karin Uzumaki's healing could not save him.
• The Nine-Tails explained that Madara Uchiha's technique suppressed cell reproduction and offered his own Chakra as a way to heal Kuming.
• The Nine-Tails revealed that Kuming's strengthened seal blocked his Chakra from reaching Kuming's body.
• Kuming considered opening his heart to the Nine-Tails and asked what the beast would do if he broke the seal.
• The Nine-Tails said he wanted true freedom and offered to help Kuming recover in exchange for being released.

Uzumaki Kuming convinced Kurama to become his partner by appealing to the Sage of Six Paths’ wish for the Tailed Beasts and humans to find peace. Kurama’s chakra restored Kuming’s consciousness, and he awoke inside a cave where Konoha had sealed him away four years earlier.

• Uzumaki Kuming told Kurama that the Tailed Beasts were created by the Sage of Six Paths and had once been the Ten-Tails.
• Kuming recalled the danger of his fight with Madara Uchiha and said he needed Kurama’s strength to face future threats.
• Kurama remembered the Sage of Six Paths’ words about the Tailed Beasts reuniting and finding true strength.
• Kuming asked Kurama to become his partner and help create peace between humans and Tailed Beasts, and Kurama agreed.
• Kurama’s chakra enveloped Kuming, who suppressed its negative emotions and regained control of his body.
• Kuming awoke in a sealed cave, realizing he had been unconscious there for four years.

Uzumaki Kuming broke free of his seal and encountered Naruto and his friends in the woods outside Konoha. After learning four years had passed, Kuming asked Naruto about Kushina, while the ANBU treated him as a possible threat.

• Naruto and his friends sneaked out of Konoha and ran into Uzumaki Kuming in the snowy woods.
• Konoha ANBU stepped in to protect the children and realized they could not sense Kuming’s presence.
• Kuming learned that it was Konoha Year 52 and that he had been sealed for four years.
• Kuming asked Naruto whether his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was safe, alarming the ANBU by revealing he knew Naruto’s identity.
• Naruto recognized Kuming as someone he had seen on the village’s Kage Rock.

Uzumaki Kuming returned to Konoha after years sealed away and reunited with his disciple Shisui, who explained why the village had declared him dead and described Konoha’s recent wars. With Kumogakure’s envoy in the village to negotiate over the Tailed Beasts, Kuming asked Shisui to show him around Konoha.

• Naruto recognized Uzumaki Kuming from Kage Rock, but two Anbu suspected he was an impostor and attacked him.
• Uzumaki Kuming quickly restrained the Anbu, then convinced them to calm down and hear him out.
• Shisui Uchiha arrived with Konoha Ninja, recognized his master, and embraced him after confirming his identity with the Sharingan.
• Shisui explained that Konoha had declared Kuming dead after he fell unconscious from severe injuries, and that a seal created by several prominent ninja had kept him in a cavern while he recovered.
• Shisui told Kuming that Minato Namikaze had become the Fifth Hokage and that Konoha had fought several villages over the Tailed Beasts, with Kumogakure now sending an envoy to negotiate again.
• Uzumaki Kuming remarked that another war might be coming and asked Shisui to walk with him through Konoha.

Uzumaki Kuming returned to Konoha after four years and surveyed the village with Uchiha Shisui, learning that Itachi was away on a mission. He encountered Minato's students escorting Cloud Ninja and recognized Rin Nohara as the Three-Tails' jinchuriki before dismissing the Cloud visitors as doomed.

• Uzumaki Kuming entered Konoha with Uchiha Shisui and used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to locate familiar people in the village.
• Shisui told Kuming that Itachi had become a Chunin, led a team, and was currently away on a mission.
• Kuming and Shisui walked through the village, and Shisui offered to find Kuming clothes after passersby stared at his ragged appearance.
• A Cloud Ninja mocked Konoha for having a beggar, and Rin Nohara defended the village while Obito Uchiha asked Shisui who Kuming was.
• Kuming examined Rin's seal and recognized her as the Three-Tails' jinchuriki, while the Cloud Ninja sensed something unusual about him and moved on with Kakashi, Rin, and Obito.

Uzumaki Kuming returned to Konoha and spent the evening catching up with Jiraiya and Shisui while Minato and the village elders discussed the Cloud Ninja’s demands. After Kuming left the others, he sensed a shadow heading toward the Hyuga Clan’s home and followed it.

• Jiraiya and Kuming reminisced at a hot spring after Shisui confirmed Kuming’s return to Konoha.
• Minato, Hiruzen, and the elders discussed the Cloud Ninja’s demands and suspected they were preparing for war.
• A police ninja reported that Kuming had returned, delighting Minato, Hiruzen, and Homura.
• Kuming, Jiraiya, and Shisui drank together, then Kuming headed out alone while Shisui took Jiraiya home.
• Kuming sensed a shadow moving toward the Hyuga Clan’s home and followed it.

Uzumaki Kuming followed a Cloud Ninja into the Hyuga compound and watched him abduct Hinata. After Hyuga Hiashi killed the intruder and rescued his daughter, Kuming revealed himself and told Hiashi to report the incident directly to Minato.

• Uzumaki Kuming tracked the Cloud Ninja as he avoided Konoha's patrols and approached the Hyuga compound.
• The Cloud Ninja entered Hinata Hyuga's room, killed her maid, knocked Hinata unconscious, and carried her away.
• Hyuga Hiashi confronted the intruder outside the compound and killed him with a Gentle Fist strike before checking on Hinata.
• Uzumaki Kuming appeared behind Hiashi and advised him to contact Minato instead of the Konoha Police Department.
• Hiashi recognized Kuming, who teased him for taking so long to recognize him.

Uzumaki Kuming explained to Hyuga Hiashi that the Cloud Ninja envoy’s attack was likely meant to provoke conflict and discussed the danger of his return creating a struggle with Minato Namikaze over the Hokage’s authority. Kuming left without deciding whether to reclaim power, intending to prioritize Konoha’s stability.

• Uzumaki Kuming told Hyuga Hiashi that the Cloud Ninja envoy had likely come to provoke Konoha, whether he succeeded in stealing the Byakugan or was caught.
• Uzumaki Kuming explained that Konoha’s losses and its possession of the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails had made it a target for the Cloud Ninja.
• Uzumaki Kuming said he had not decided how to meet his old friends because his return as the Fourth Hokage could create a power struggle with Minato Namikaze, the Fifth Hokage.
• Hyuga Hiashi offered to help Kuming reclaim authority, but Kuming said he did not want Minato’s supporters to turn against him or destabilize the village.
• Uzumaki Kuming left the Hyuga residence to think over the Hokage issue, while Hiashi watched him go.

After the Cloud Ninja delegation demanded that Konoha surrender Hyuga Hiashi for killing their leader, Minato Namikaze backed Hiashi as he turned the accusation against the envoys and had them seized. Hiashi told Nara Shikaku that Minato was back and stronger than before, leaving Shikaku reassured.

• The Cloud Ninja delegation confronted Minato Namikaze, threatened war, and demanded that Konoha hand over Hyuga Hiashi.
• Hiashi entered the Hokage’s office and accused the Cloud Ninja leader of trespassing and attempting to kidnap his daughter, then demanded to question the remaining envoys.
• Minato authorized Hiashi to take the envoys for questioning, and Nara Shikaku immobilized all five with Shadow Possession Jutsu.
• Hiashi punched one envoy unconscious, and Hyuga Clan ninja sealed the envoys’ chakra points and escorted them away.
• Shikaku asked whether Minato was all right, and Hiashi said Minato had returned with vastly greater chakra.

Uzumaki Kuming learned that Konoha was facing pressure from other villages over its Tailed Beasts, but he refused to seek the Hokage position and wanted to travel and train. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitokado Homura offered him the Ninja Academy principal position, which Kuming found appealing.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu visited Kuming, who told them he was well and that he had mastered the Nine-Tails' power.
• Kuming explained that the Nine-Tails was named Kurama, and the advisors realized his relationship with it had changed.
• Hiruzen told Kuming that Minato Namikaze was Hokage and described the pressure Konoha faced over holding four Tailed Beasts.
• Kuming said he supported Minato as Hokage and wanted to travel the Shinobi World and train in Senjutsu.
• Mitokado Homura suggested Kuming become principal of the Ninja Academy, and Kuming said the position sounded appealing.

Uzumaki Jiuming refused the offer to become Ninja Academy principal immediately, asking for two years to travel the Shinobi World before taking the position. While wandering through the woods, he encountered Obito Uchiha, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara and teased them about their weakness before they recognized him as the Fourth Hokage.

• Uzumaki Jiuming asked Hiruzen Sarutobi for two years to travel before becoming Ninja Academy principal, and Hiruzen agreed.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Mitokado Homura that Jiuming would not change his mind once he had decided to leave.
• Jiuming left his home to visit Kushina, then heard Obito Uchiha challenge Kakashi to a fight in the woods.
• Rin Nohara sensed someone approaching, and Jiuming emerged from the trees and mocked the three students for being weak.
• Kakashi and Rin recognized Jiuming as the Fourth Hokage, and he said he was disappointed they had improved so little.

Uzumaki Kuming challenged Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara to prove their strength, then easily countered their attacks. Kakashi emerged from beneath the ground with a Kunai at Kuming’s neck and declared that Kuming had lost.

• Uzumaki Kuming criticized Kakashi and Obito Uchiha for seeming weak and challenged the three to show him their strength.
• Kakashi accepted the test, and Obito charged Kuming while Kakashi and Rin moved into position.
• Kuming grabbed Obito’s wrist and kicked him away, then dodged Kunai thrown from behind.
• Kakashi and Obito coordinated a surprise attack with shuriken and Obito’s Flame Dragon Bullet, but Kuming’s lightning neutralized the jutsu and cut apart the shuriken.
• Kakashi leaped from beneath the ground and held a Kunai to Kuming’s neck, declaring that Kuming had lost.

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara tested their skills against Uzumaki Kuming, but Kuming easily countered their attacks. Kakashi then prepared to try a newly developed jutsu, leaving the result unresolved.

• Kuming numbed Kakashi's wrist with lightning, took his dropped Kunai, and threw it beside Obito to show he had not been defeated.
• Kakashi, Obito, and Rin used smoke to conceal their approach, but Kuming crushed Kakashi's Lightning Dog and emerged unharmed from their fire-and-Chidori attack.
• Kuming slammed Kakashi into the ground, only for the body to vanish as a Shadow Clone.
• Obito offered to use his Sharingan Genjutsu while Kakashi drew Kuming's attention, and Kakashi accepted the plan.
• Kakashi approached Kuming alone and warned that his newly developed jutsu was difficult to control; Kuming urged him to use it without restraint.

Kakashi tested his self-developed Lightning Armor and sword technique against Kuming, while Obito and Rin joined the fight. Kakashi and Obito were swiftly subdued, but Rin’s unexpectedly powerful punch forced Kuming to use twenty percent of his strength.

• Kakashi covered himself in Lightning Armor and used it to attack Kuming at greatly increased speed, but Kuming blocked his strikes without moving.
• Kakashi unleashed his Chaotic Slashes, yet Kuming emerged unharmed while Kakashi collapsed from exhaustion and a wounded hand.
• Obito rushed out and cast a Sharingan genjutsu on Kuming, who interrupted it with a rap on the head.
• Kuming warned Obito that the attack could have killed him and noted Kakashi had used too much Chakra to continue fighting.
• Rin dropped from above and punched Kuming with enough force to crack the ground, making him use twenty percent of his strength to withstand her increasing power.

Uzumaki Kuming tested Rin Nohara’s fighting ability and discovered that her strength and the Three-Tails’ Chakra exceeded his expectations. He told Rin, Obito Uchiha, and Kakashi that they would travel with him soon and train to become pillars of Konoha’s future.

• Rin Nohara used Strength of a Hundred against Uzumaki Kuming, who threw her into a snow-covered tree and asked who taught her the technique.
• Rin said Kushina had taught her, then clashed fists with Kuming as Obito Uchiha watched in shock at her strength.
• Rin’s fighting spirit surged during the contest, and a Tailed Beast Cloak formed around her as the Three-Tails’ Chakra leaked through her intact seal.
• Kuming consulted Kurama, who suggested that a resonance between the Tailed Beasts might explain the Chakra’s appearance.
• Kuming reassured Rin that the transformation was a good thing and declared that she, Obito, and Kakashi would travel with him and grow into pillars of Konoha.

After returning to Konoha, Uzumaki Kuming reunited with Kushina and met Naruto, who asked him to teach him ninjutsu so he could fight those who bullied him. Kuming grew concerned about Naruto, while he and Kushina caught up at home.

• Obito left the forest determined to get stronger and protect Rin after realizing she and Kakashi had surpassed him.
• Kuming returned to Konoha, got his hair trimmed, bought new clothes, and went to Minato and Kushina's home.
• Naruto recognized Kuming, and Kushina greeted her younger brother warmly and introduced him to Naruto as his uncle and the Fourth Hokage.
• Naruto asked Kuming to teach him ninjutsu so he could beat the people who bullied him, but Kushina scolded him for fighting.
• Kuming asked Kushina what was happening, but she brushed off his concern and invited him inside to catch up.

Uzumaki Kuming visited Uchiha Fugaku’s home and reunited with Mikoto, who told him that rumors blaming the Uchiha for the Tailed Beast attack had deepened hostility between the clan and Konoha. She explained that Fugaku’s proposal to relocate the clan had divided the Uchiha, whose meetings had become factional battlegrounds.

• Uzumaki Kuming noticed matching black tattoos on an Uchiha guard and Ayako Uchiha as he entered Fugaku’s residence with Naruto.
• Sasuke Uchiha met Kuming and Naruto, recognized Kuming as his brother’s teacher, and took Naruto outside to play.
• Mikoto Uchiha greeted Kuming and privately asked him to help Fugaku.
• Mikoto told Kuming that rumors accusing the Uchiha of controlling the Tailed Beast had fueled hostility toward the clan.
• Mikoto explained that a clash between Uchiha and village ninja had killed several ninja, prompting Fugaku to propose relocating the clan.
• Mikoto said Fugaku’s proposal split the clan and turned its meetings into battles between opposing factions.

Uzumaki Kuming told Mikoto Uchiha that Fugaku might need to eliminate the Uchiha Clan's dissenters to prevent a break with Konoha. After catching Ayako Uchiha spying, Kuming tracked her to a secret meeting and confronted the conspirators.

• Mikoto told Kuming that the Uchiha Clan's rift with Konoha was worsening despite Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi's efforts.
• Kuming advised Mikoto that Fugaku might have to kill the dissenters to stop the conflict before it became irreversible.
• Kuming detected Ayako Uchiha spying outside the room and pursued her after she fled.
• Ayako told a middle-aged man that the Fourth Hokage had caught her spying, and he realized she had led Kuming to their hideout.
• Kuming smashed open the hideout's door and entered as the middle-aged man recognized him as the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kuming.

Uzumaki Kuming entered Ayako Uchiha’s home and stopped a surprise attack by Uchiha Zhi and a young man. When their cursed seals triggered a massive explosion, Kuming contained the blast with a barrier, leaving the house destroyed and Uchiha shinobi gathering around him.

• Uzumaki Kuming entered the room, where Ayako Uchiha, Uchiha Zhi, and a young man were present.
• Uchiha Zhi used his Sharingan to cast genjutsu and attacked Kuming, while the young man struck at him from the side.
• Kuming broke the genjutsu and swiftly knocked both attackers down, then restrained them and incapacitated Ayako Uchiha.
• As Kuming questioned Uchiha Zhi, the cursed seals on him, Ayako Uchiha, and the young man spread and caused their bodies to swell.
• Kuming raised a barrier around the house and contained the explosion inside it.
• Uchiha shinobi rushed to the scene as Kuming dismissed the barrier, revealing a deep pit where the house had stood.

Uzumaki Kuming investigated an explosion on Uchiha territory and denied causing it, then left to report to Fugaku. At a clan meeting, Fugaku confronted the Third Elder over his son’s misconduct, until the Great Elder challenged Fugaku to choose between leading the clan and serving Konoha.

• Uzumaki Kuming dispelled his barrier and investigated the crater, where Uchiha Inabi suspected him of causing the explosion.
• Uzumaki Kuming sensed unfamiliar chakra, denied responsibility, and told Uchiha Inabi to secure the scene and contact the Police Force’s Forensics Division.
• Uzumaki Kuming used the Body Flicker Technique to leave for the Uchiha Clan Compound and seek Fugaku.
• Uchiha Fugaku defended the Fifth Hokage’s decision to strip the Third Elder’s son of his Jonin rank, then accused him of using Genin as bait to escape.
• A young man secretly delivered a message to the Great Elder, who rose and demanded that Uchiha Fugaku choose whether he was clan head or a Konoha Jonin.