Recaps

Xuanye extracted Isobu from the dying Karatachi Yagura, and the Three-Tails submitted rather than fight him. As Xuanye began sealing Isobu, Genji and Kirigakure’s Anbu arrived to stop him from taking the village’s Tailed Beast.

• Xuanye let Obito escape because the Akatsuki Organization still served his plans and Obito’s actions remained predictable.
• Xuanye removed the Three-Tails from Karatachi Yagura, leaving him enough Chakra to survive.
• Isobu recognized the Mangekyō Sharingan and Matatabi, then submitted to Xuanye and agreed to be sealed.
• Xuanye promised Isobu some freedom after they returned to Konoha, and Isobu cooperated with the sealing.
• Genji and Kirigakure’s Anbu arrived, but Genji held back from attacking Xuanye and tried to prevent him from taking Isobu.

After sealing Isobu, Xuanye confronted Genji and revealed that he had come to offer Kirigakure’s persecuted bloodline clans a home in Konoha. Hozuki Longchuan chose to stand with Xuanye, openly turning against Kirigakure.

• Xuanye sealed Isobu in a scroll and told Genji that he had freed Karatachi Yagura from an illusion and deserved payment for helping Kirigakure.
• Genji restrained the Kirigakure Shinobi who wanted to attack Xuanye, recognizing that their village could not withstand another assault.
• Xuanye said Konoha would take in Kirigakure’s bloodline clans, and Genji suspected that someone had secretly arranged Xuanye’s visit.
• Xuanye called on Hozuki Longchuan to prove his loyalty, revealing that the Hozuki elder had secretly contacted him.
• Hozuki Longchuan stepped beside Xuanye, Orochimaru, and Hizashi Hyuga, and Genji accused him of betraying Kirigakure.

Hozuki Longchuan openly rejected Genji’s defense of Kirigakure and chose to follow Xuanye, who demonstrated overwhelming power by splitting the village and a distant mountain range with Susanoo’s Musō Isshin. Genji survived the slash, leaving Kirigakure devastated and Xuanye poised to rule the Land of Water.

• Hozuki Longchuan accused Kirigakure of persecuting bloodline Shinobi and said its history of killing comrades had destroyed his trust in Genji.
• Genji denounced Hozuki Longchuan as a traitor and ordered the Kirigakure Shinobi to capture him.
• Xuanye manifested a Complete Body Susanoo and raised Musō Isshin over Kirigakure, terrifying the gathered Shinobi into silence.
• Genji tried to negotiate, but Xuanye refused and brought the Susanoo’s slash down on Kirigakure.
• Xuanye’s slash split the village and a distant mountain range while sparing Genji and deliberately avoiding several clan districts.
• Xuanye chose not to kill Genji, believing the elder’s survival would help prevent disorder in Kirigakure.

Xuanye gathered the clans and survivors defecting from Kirigakure and laid down rules for their lives in Konoha. He promised Kimimaro Kaguya a safe home and an ordinary childhood, leaving the child with his first reason to believe he could live as a person rather than a weapon.

• Xuanye ordered Hozuki Longchuan to signal the defectors and escort them out of the Land of Water.
• Hozuki Longchuan fired a flare, and members of the Hozuki and Snow clans, villagers, and Kaguya Clan survivors gathered to leave.
• A Kaguya Clan leader presented the young Kimimaro Kaguya as a powerful weapon, but Xuanye forbade using children as tools and required the defectors to follow Konoha's rules.
• Xuanye asked the child his name, then promised Kimimaro Kaguya safety, education, friends, and a warm home.
• Kimimaro Kaguya listened as Xuanye told him he was a person equal to anyone else, and the words stayed with him.

Xuanye ordered Hozuki Longchuan to kill the defeated Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, as a pledge that the Hozuki and Yuki clans would have no path back to Kirigakure. Longchuan accepted, and Karatachi Yagura urged him to act while trying to sow distrust between the defectors and Uchiha Genya.

• Kimimaro Kaguya accepted Xuanye's protection and promised to do anything for him, while Xuanye told him to live the life he wanted.
• Xuanye praised Hozuki Longchuan for leading the Hozuki and Yuki clans away from Kirigakure, then ordered him to kill Karatachi Yagura.
• Hozuki Longchuan scratched his Kirigakure Forehead Protector with a Kunai and stepped toward Karatachi Yagura as Kirigakure Shinobi shouted at him but did not intervene.
• Karatachi Yagura told Hozuki Longchuan to take his life for a better future, and Longchuan recognized the attempt to make Uchiha Genya distrust the defectors.

Xuanye rewarded Hozuki Longchuan for killing Karatachi Yagura by making him a Konoha jonin and giving him his own Forehead Protector. Xuanye led the defectors and civilians toward the Land of Fire, leaving Elder Genshi to face Kirigakure’s losses and the threat Xuanye represented.

• Hozuki Longchuan killed Karatachi Yagura, then knelt before Xuanye to report that the task was complete.
• Xuanye made Hozuki Longchuan a Konoha jonin and publicly gave him his own Forehead Protector as a sign of support.
• Xuanye ordered Hozuki Longchuan to lead the group to the Land of Water’s border, where ships and supplies awaited them.
• Xuanye reminded Mei Terumi that she still owed him a meal, prompting suspicious looks from the surrounding Shinobi.
• After Xuanye’s procession departed, Elder Genshi was left to consider Kirigakure’s casualties, leadership crisis, and inability to oppose Xuanye.

After Kirigakure’s defeat, Genji tasked Mei Terumi with burying Karatachi Yagura honorably and publicizing Konoha’s attack to unite the other villages against Uchiha Genya. Obito escaped to a secret base, where Black Zetsu reproached him for failing to learn more about Genya’s abilities.

• Genji trusted Mei Terumi, declared the Bloody Mist era over, and ordered Karatachi Yagura buried in the Heroes' Cemetery with Mizukage honors.
• Genji told Mei Terumi to reveal what happened and rally the other villages against Konoha and Uchiha Genya, while protecting the Six-Tails from being taken.
• Mei Terumi surveyed Kirigakure’s devastation and vowed to make Uchiha Genya pay the next time they met.
• Obito fell out of the Kamui Dimension at a secret base in the Land of Water and worried about Genya’s power to freeze time.
• Black Zetsu criticized Obito for wasting a life without discovering the limits of Genya’s abilities, while Obito dismissed his concern.

After Tobi reported that Uchiha Genya had used a Complete Body Susanoo to split Kirigakure in half, Obito and Black Zetsu realized he might have Eternal Mangekyō eyes and pose a major threat. Black Zetsu urged Obito to prepare, but Obito rejected both awakening Madara and reclaiming his other Sharingan.

• Tobi told Obito and Black Zetsu that Uchiha Genya had manifested a Complete Body Susanoo and split Kirigakure with one slash.
• Black Zetsu concluded that Genya might have transplanted a relative’s Mangekyō and gained Eternal Mangekyō eyes, making him powerful enough to threaten their plans.
• Black Zetsu suggested awakening Madara early, but Obito refused because he feared losing control of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Black Zetsu suggested that Obito reclaim his other Sharingan, but Obito refused because it was his gift to Kakashi and a symbol of their bond.
• Black Zetsu warned that Konoha’s three Tailed Beasts and Genya’s power made a future confrontation unavoidable.

Black Zetsu gave Obito Uchiha Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan, hoping its Kotoamatsukami would help him counter Uchiha Genya. Obito implanted the eye and laughed at the power he had gained, while Black Zetsu worried about losing control of him.

• Obito discarded his blinded Three-Tomoe Sharingan and prepared another eye from his sealing scroll.
• Black Zetsu offered Obito a blind Mangekyō Sharingan and revealed that Hashirama Cells might restore it.
• Black Zetsu explained that the eye belonged to Uchiha Shisui and contained Kotoamatsukami, which could permanently change a person’s mind.
• Obito demanded to know how Black Zetsu had obtained the eye, and Black Zetsu described retrieving it from Danzo’s grave after the Reverse Four-Seal Technique.
• Obito implanted the eye in his left socket and laughed, while Black Zetsu wondered why Uchiha always laughed so wildly.

Obito discovered that the eye Black Zetsu gave him was an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan, not Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami. Black Zetsu concluded that Uchiha Genya had stolen Shisui’s eyes and secretly manipulated events to benefit himself, leaving Black Zetsu alarmed by Genya’s threat.

• Obito connected the transplanted eye to his optic nerve, realized it was an ordinary Three-Tomoe, and crushed it in anger.
• Black Zetsu reconsidered reports that Danzo had stolen Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan and noted that the story did not fit Danzo’s actions.
• Black Zetsu suspected that Genya had stolen Shisui’s eyes and framed Danzo, reasoning that Genya’s Complete Body Susanoo suggested he had gained the Eternal Mangekyō.
• Black Zetsu reinterpreted Genya’s rise, concluding that the Nine-Tails attack and the turmoil in Kirigakure had cleared obstacles from Genya’s path.

Black Zetsu realized Uchiha Genya was a dangerous, calculating enemy and planned to test his limits through Nagato. Meanwhile, Xuanye led the clans across the sea toward the Land of Fire and examined the Rule Breaker he had received as a reward.

• Black Zetsu concluded that Uchiha Genya had used Shisui's eyes to evolve his Eternal Mangekyō and feared he might know about Black Zetsu and the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Obito implanted a spare Three-Tomoe eye and regained confidence in his ability to use Izanagi, while Black Zetsu proposed having Nagato test Uchiha Genya's limits.
• Xuanye led nearly a thousand people across the Land of Water to two ships, then set sail with the Hozuki and Yuki clans for the Land of Fire.
• Orochimaru continued his research aboard the ship after collecting blood samples from the clans' children and adult Shinobi.
• Xuanye examined Rule Breaker, the golden dagger he had won from the Myriad World Lottery.

Xuanye valued a dagger that could break seals and planned to use it later against the Hyuga Clan. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected Uchiha Genya had placed the Daimyo under an Illusion Technique and secretly escaped house arrest to investigate.

• Xuanye received a divinity-infused dagger capable of nullifying most Sealing Techniques and chose not to use it yet against Hizashi Hyuga or the Hyuga Clan.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen learned from Asuma that the Daimyo kept increasing Konoha's funding while angrily claiming he was trying to obstruct Uchiha Genya.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected the Daimyo was under an Illusion Technique and believed Uchiha Genya was responsible.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen left a Shadow Clone in bed and used Earth Release to slip out of the village where he was confined.

Asuma discovered that Sarutobi Hiruzen had secretly come to the Daimyo Mansion, claiming Uchiha Genya had put the Daimyo under an Illusion Technique. Hiruzen asked Asuma to help free the Daimyo, leaving Asuma torn between his father and the risk to his position and the Sarutobi Clan.

• Asuma found three pebbles in the garden, recognized them as a signal, and secretly summoned Sarutobi Hiruzen in his quarters.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Asuma that Uchiha Genya had placed the Daimyo under an Illusion Technique and that he had come to save him.
• Asuma warned Hiruzen that Uchiha Genya would not give him another chance, but Hiruzen said the Daimyo might punish Genya if the Illusion Technique were exposed.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Asuma to help the Sarutobi Clan, while Asuma objected that further assistance could cost him his place among the Daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Sarutobi Hiruzen persuaded Asuma to help him reach the Daimyo so he could break Uchiha Genya’s supposed Illusion Technique. Hiruzen emerged before the Daimyo, but Genya’s Transcription Seal trapped him in Mirror Flower, Water Moon, leaving Hiruzen uncertain of what he was doing in reality.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen begged Asuma to help him approach the Daimyo, and Asuma agreed to bring him to the next day’s banquet.
• Asuma escorted the Daimyo’s patrol and reached the banquet while Sarutobi Hiruzen secretly followed underground.
• Asuma asked to speak privately with the Daimyo, but Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly emerged from the ground in front of the guests.
• The Daimyo’s Transcription Seal activated Mirror Flower, Water Moon against Sarutobi Hiruzen as soon as he saw him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen accused Uchiha Genya of controlling the Daimyo, but the Daimyo said he was real and revealed that Hiruzen was trapped in an illusion.

Under Uchiha Genya’s Illusion Technique, Sarutobi Hiruzen killed the Daimyo and the people in the mansion, then realized the consequences too late. Hiruzen escaped, leaving his injured son Asuma behind as the guardian ninja turned on him.

• Hiruzen, controlled by Genya’s Illusion Technique, used Enma’s Adamantine Staff to kill the nobles and guests and pierce the Daimyo’s chest.
• Hiruzen tried to save the dying Daimyo and claimed Genya had controlled him, while Asuma watched in shock from the corner.
• The Daimyo’s guardian ninja arrived, saw the carnage, and attacked Hiruzen for the assassination.
• Hiruzen drove the guardian ninja back with ninjutsu, apologized to Asuma, and fled through a smashed wall.
• The guardian ninja pursued Hiruzen while others focused on the injured Asuma, suspecting he had helped the assassin.

Uchiha Genya learned that Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken his bait and ordered Itachi to carry out the next step of the plan. Meanwhile, Obito discovered that Pain and Konan had recruited Biwa Juzo and questioned who Obito really was.

• Itachi sent Uchiha Genya a signal after seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen escape, and Genya realized his bait had worked.
• Genya sent Itachi new instructions, and Itachi resolved to follow them at the Daimyo Mansion.
• Orochimaru suspected Sarutobi Hiruzen was doomed and contacted his hidden snakes to investigate the old man's actions.
• Obito answered Pain and Konan's summons at the Akatsuki headquarters and learned that Biwa Juzo had reported on his defeat in Kirigakure.
• Pain questioned Obito's identity after Konan introduced Biwa Juzo as the Akatsuki Organization's newest member.

Obito learned that Pain and Konan doubted his claim to be Uchiha Madara, then received orders to recruit Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had become a wanted fugitive after murdering a Daimyo and his family. Meanwhile, Xuanye returned to Konoha with the Hozuki and Yuki clans and was warmly welcomed by the villagers.

• Pain told Obito to recruit powerful rogue ninja, and Konan gave him a report identifying Sarutobi Hiruzen as a fugitive with a four-billion-ryo bounty.
• Konan warned Pain that Obito could not be trusted, but Pain dismissed the concern and declared that he would create peace with the Rinnegan.
• Obito left to search for Sarutobi Hiruzen while worrying that Nagato was slipping beyond his control.
• Xuanye returned to Konoha with his spoils and a large group of clan members after a journey of more than half a month.
• Konoha's villagers warmly greeted Xuanye, leaving the Hozuki and Yuki clans astonished by how beloved he was.

Xuanye reviewed the fallout from Kirigakure's public admission of its losses and summoned the heads of four clans implicated in Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions. The clan heads offered gifts and begged for his protection, and the first three boxes contained the severed heads of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

• Xuanye arranged temporary shelters and supplies for the newcomers, then returned to the Hokage Building with Hizashi Hyuga, Orochimaru, Hozuki Longchuan, and Yuki Huan.
• Xuanye learned that Kirigakure had revealed its losses to the other great villages, and he judged that the report would help set his plans in motion.
• Xuanye read Kakuzu's report that the heads of the Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Shimura clans had surrendered most of their wealth and repeatedly asked to meet him.
• Xuanye ordered an Anbu to bring the four clan heads before him, and they knelt and pleaded that they had known nothing about Sarutobi Hiruzen's deeds.
• Hizashi Hyuga inspected the four boxes, then the clan heads opened them to reveal the heads of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

Uchiha Genya forced the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans to disband and surrender their property in exchange for sparing them. He gave them three days to comply, then considered what to do about Sarutobi Hiruzen’s pregnant daughter-in-law.

• The heads of the four clans offered Genya their assets and claimed Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu had died after attempting to atone for Hiruzen’s crimes.
• Genya rejected their offer as insufficient, but said he would spare them if they disbanded their clans, gave up their surnames and property, and placed their ninja under Konoha’s administration.
• Sarutobi Kurakama accepted Genya’s terms, and Genya gave the clans three days to prepare.
• Kurakama asked what to do about Sarutobi Hiruzen’s pregnant daughter-in-law, and Genya silently indicated that she should be eliminated.

Xuanye arranged the arrival of the Hozuki and Yuki clans in Konoha and gave Orochimaru information about Hidan of the Jashin Cult. He then took Orochimaru to the Konoha Orphanage to meet the assistant he had promised.

• Cang Lian left after deciding to eliminate Sarutobi Hiruzen's immediate family.
• Xuanye told Hozuki Longchuan and Yuki Huan their clans would be formally welcomed at a Jonin Conference and housed in a temporary camp for the night.
• Xuanye gave Orochimaru a scroll describing Hidan's immortality, blood curse, and weaknesses, while ordering him to continue his Cursed Seal research.
• Orochimaru asked about the promised assistant, and Xuanye personally led him to the Konoha Orphanage.
• The orphanage director, Nonō, came out to greet Xuanye and Orochimaru.

Hokage Xuanye visited Konoha Orphanage and demanded that Nonō submit a proposal and records for the children in her care. Nonō feared he intended to take the children for Root, while Kabuto challenged Xuanye to explain his purpose.

• Orochimaru recognized Nonō as Root operative Wandering Miko, while Xuanye noticed the young Kabuto at the orphanage.
• Xuanye asked why Nonō had not submitted a funding proposal and required her to report the identities of children taken in from outside the village.
• Nonō feared Xuanye would take the children for Root and offered her services in exchange for their safety.
• Kabuto recalled that Nonō's pleas to Shimura Danzō had failed and spoke up despite Nonō's warning.
• Xuanye invited Kabuto to state his thoughts and promised to grant what he wanted if he interested him or offered sufficient value.
• Kabuto suspected that Xuanye and Orochimaru had come to the orphanage for him.

Uchiha Genya arranged for Yakushi Kabuto to work for Orochimaru while promising support and protection for the Konoha Orphanage. Kabuto accepted the assignment, and Genya warned him that Orochimaru's work could be dangerous but might teach him forbidden techniques and Medical Ninjutsu.

• Kabuto offered to serve Genya and Orochimaru if they spared the orphanage children and Mother Nonō.
• Genya explained that Kabuto's composure and negotiating instincts made him worth recommending, though Orochimaru saw no special talent in him.
• Genya promised proper facilities, education, and future support for the orphanage children, and Nonō agreed to keep running it under Konoha's Medical Department.
• Genya assigned Kabuto to work for Orochimaru, and Kabuto bowed and accepted.
• Genya warned Kabuto that the work might endanger him but could provide access to forbidden techniques, and urged him to learn Medical Ninjutsu.

Xuanye persuaded Kakuzu to delay pursuing Sarutobi Hiruzen and help keep him alive so his bounty and political usefulness could grow. As Xuanye headed back to the Hokage Office, he noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face still remained on Kage Rock.

• Kabuto bowed to Xuanye and followed Orochimaru, who used the Summoning Technique to take him back to Hozuki Castle.
• Kakuzu set out to hunt Sarutobi Hiruzen for his four-billion-ryō bounty, but Xuanye stopped him.
• Xuanye explained that he had deliberately let Sarutobi Hiruzen live to undermine the Daimyo and nobles’ authority.
• Kakuzu worried that another village might claim the bounty first, and Xuanye suggested making sure Sarutobi Hiruzen survived longer.
• Kakuzu left planning to recruit help and secretly provide Sarutobi Hiruzen with supplies so he would stay alive.
• Xuanye prepared to return to the Hokage Office, then noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face still carved into Kage Rock.

Xuanye arranged for Sarutobi Hiruzen’s image on Kage Rock to be destroyed, then settled the Hozuki, Yuki, and Kaguya Clans in Konoha while addressing tensions with the Uchiha. He secured the Jonin Conference’s approval to protect the Land of Fire’s surviving Daimyo heir and sent Itachi with twenty elite Anbu to guard the Daimyo Mansion.

• Xuanye instructed an Anbu operative, and former Sarutobi Clan members later covered Hiruzen’s face on Kage Rock with Explosive Tags; the Security Division arrested them briefly before letting them go with a warning.
• At the Jonin Conference, Xuanye gave the Hozuki, Yuki, and Kaguya Clans residential plots, accepted Shikotsumyaku techniques and a loan from the impoverished Kaguya, and arranged a home and caretaker for Kimimaro.
• Xuanye kept the new arrivals away from the Uchiha, required most experienced newcomers to complete Konoha’s education and assessment before receiving ranks, and enrolled their children in the Ninja Academy.
• Xuanye argued that Konoha should protect the Daimyo’s sole surviving heir after the Daimyo and his family were assassinated; the Jonin Conference voiced its support.
• Xuanye sent Itachi and twenty elite Anbu, including Uchiha and Hyuga Jonin, to guard the heir and manage the Daimyo Mansion’s assets.

Xuanye reassured Konoha’s leaders that recruiting bloodline clans was meant to strengthen the village and expand its gains, not necessarily to start another war. He then pointed to a map of the Ninja World and suggested that it had too many countries, leaving his broader ambitions clear but unstated.

• Xuanye appointed Itachi to lead the security detail and take full control of the Daimyo Mansion until the young Daimyo came of age.
• Nara Shikaku asked Xuanye why he was recruiting more ninja clans, while Konoha’s leaders worried that he was preparing for war.
• Xuanye told the assembled leaders that the new clans were Konoha’s people and that their arrival would increase the gains shared by everyone.
• Xuanye showed the leaders a map of the Ninja World and asked whether they thought it had too many countries.