Chapter Summaries

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha discovered that they had been longtime pen pals, bringing them closer despite their younger brothers’ suspicion. Meanwhile, Manji and Uchiha Tajima learned that Senju Butsuma had demanded Hashirama’s return and threatened to destroy Konoha, and they refused to be intimidated.

• Hashirama Senju asked Madara Uchiha to help him find his pen pal, Wang Wenwen, and Madara realized Hashirama was the pen pal who wrote as Vegetative Person.
• Madara revealed that he was Wang Wenwang, and Hashirama recognized him as Wang Wenwen; the two celebrated their connection and invited their younger brothers to eat ramen.
• Uchiha Izuna and Tobirama Senju interrupted Madara and Hashirama’s affectionate reunion and watched them with suspicion.
• Uchiha Tajima asked Manji whether Hashirama’s presence in Konoha might provoke the Senju, and Manji said defectors would be protected even if that brought war.
• An Anbu delivered Senju Butsuma’s letter demanding Hashirama’s return within three days and threatening to destroy Konoha; Manji and Uchiha Tajima dismissed the threat.

Over decades of peaceful development, Manji built Konoha’s strength but watched its people grow fearful of war, while factions split over whether to preserve peace or unify the Ninja World by force. When Tajima proposed manufacturing a border incident, Manji devised a plan that could provoke conflict and awaken Madara and Izuna’s Mangekyō Sharingan, and Tajima agreed despite his concerns.

• Manji expanded Konoha’s economy, educated its residents, trained Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Izuna, and welcomed peaceful outsiders while rejecting those who threatened the village.
• As Konoha prospered in peace, its ninja and clans grew reluctant to fight, while civilian groups pushed for war; doves led by Manji faced hawks centered around Tajima and the younger leaders.
• Tajima urged Manji to start a war before Konoha’s younger generation lost its ability to fight, and suggested provoking a border clan to create a pretext.
• Manji told Tajima that Konoha should let others strike first to claim the moral high ground, then said Tajima’s suggestion reminded him of a plan.
• Manji whispered his plan to Tajima, who approved it but worried that using it to awaken Madara and Izuna’s Mangekyō Sharingan could expose them to blindness.
• Manji said the outcome depended on their character and choices, and Tajima solemnly agreed to proceed.

Senju Butsuma organized the major shinobi clans into a plot to destroy Konoha while Uchiha Tajima was away, assigning Kakuzu to assassinate Manji. Kakuzu entered Konoha and attacked Manji, but a burst of light incapacitated him.

• Senju Butsuma rallied the clans opposed to Konoha, and they planned to ambush Uchiha Tajima and kill Manji before invading the village.
• A clan elder gave Kakuzu the mission to assassinate Manji, and Kakuzu agreed to leave that night.
• Manji learned an assassin was coming and ordered his defenses opened to let Kakuzu enter.
• Kakuzu slipped into Konoha, then found Manji alone fishing at the Konoha Manji Residence.
• Kakuzu attacked Manji with a short sword, but a dazzling burst of light knocked him down and left him unable to move.

Manji captured Kakuzu and learned that Uchiha Tajima had been assassinated, then used the crisis to prepare a campaign against the shinobi clans. He deployed five divisions across the Land of Fire while ordering them to spare ordinary clan members and target only the leaders and masterminds.

• Manji sealed Kakuzu's Chakra and left him unable to resist.
• News spread that Uchiha Tajima had been killed, and Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan in grief and rage.
• Senju Tobirama reported that the major shinobi clans, led by the Senju Clan, were behind the assassination, then suspected the incident was part of Manji's plan.
• Senju Butsuma rallied the clan forces at Mount Kikyo to attack Konoha, believing the village was leaderless.
• Manji declared a war to unify the shinobi clans in the Land of Fire and assigned Senju Hashirama, Madara Uchiha, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna, and Hyuga Tenin to lead five divisions in different directions.
• Manji ordered the divisions not to slaughter the clans, but to execute the masterminds and clan leaders.

Konoha declared total war on the rebelling ninja clans, and Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju led devastating campaigns that quickly broke the alliance. Madara discovered the forbidden Izanagi technique, while Senju Butsuma accepted that he had to abandon the clan grounds and flee the Land of Fire.

• Konoha, through Great Elder Manji, declared war on every clan involved in the rebellion and vowed to unite the Land of Fire.
• Madara Uchiha defeated several clans in the west and discovered an ancient scroll containing the forbidden technique Izanagi, which he decided to bring to his great-grandfather.
• Hashirama Senju overwhelmed the southern forces with Wood Release, prompting the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho Clans to surrender and pledge allegiance to Konoha.
• Senju Butsuma received reports that the alliance had been routed and heard that Hashirama's forces had reached Mount Kikyo.
• Butsuma considered killing himself, but lowered his Tachi and resolved to leave the Land of Fire, the Senju Clan Grounds, and his ancestors' burial grounds.

Senju Hashirama persuaded the abandoned Senju clanspeople to join Konoha, while Tobirama Senju ambushed and captured Senju Butsuma at the coast. Butsuma was taken alive to face a public trial by the Konoha Tribunal.

• Senju Butsuma fled the Senju Clan Grounds with the clan's elite and his family, leaving the old, sick, women, and children behind.
• Senju Hashirama promised the remaining Senju clanspeople protection in Konoha, and they agreed to join him.
• Hashirama arranged for the clanspeople to move to Konoha and gave them Konoha Headbands.
• Tobirama Senju planted Explosive Tags along the coast and ambushed Butsuma's exhausted group as they tried to escape by sea.
• Konoha Ninja subdued and bound Senju Butsuma, and Tobirama said he would face a public trial rather than be killed by his son.

Uchiha Izuna secured the Hatake Clan’s surrender, completing Konoha’s unification of the Land of Fire. At Konoha, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju proposed creating the Hokage position, then turned their attention to Manji as its likely first holder.

• Uchiha Izuna forced the Hatake Clan Leader to surrender, and Konoha unified the Land of Fire in Ninja Era 852.
• Sage Fukasaku won a bet with Black Zetsu over Konoha’s unification, then Sage Shima confronted them about an AI-generated fake photo made by A-Fei.
• Black Zetsu challenged A-Fei to make an AI meme video of Konoha’s Great Elder.
• Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Uchiha Izuna found Uchiha Tajima alive in Manji’s office, and Izuna embraced his father.
• Madara Uchiha proposed establishing the Hokage position, and Manji agreed before asking who wanted it.
• The others exchanged glances and looked at Manji, leaving him startled by their apparent choice.

Manji accepted the position of First Hokage and spared Senju Butsuma from execution, sentencing him to hard labor in Konoha Prison. He rejected further military expansion for now and chose Hashirama Senju to approach Uzushio Village about peaceful coexistence.

• Uchiha Tajima, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Izuna praised Manji and urged him to become First Hokage, and Manji accepted.
• Anbu brought the bound Senju Butsuma before Manji, and Hashirama Senju knelt to plead for his father's life.
• Madara and Tobirama supported sparing Senju Butsuma, while Uchiha Tajima said he wanted him to witness the Senju Clan's gradual integration into Konoha.
• Manji spared Senju Butsuma and sentenced him to hard labor in Konoha Prison.
• Madara and Izuna proposed expanding Konoha's conquests, but Manji refused and suggested sending an envoy to Uzushio Village.
• Manji selected Hashirama Senju to travel to Uzushio Village and persuade it to coexist peacefully with Konoha.

Hashirama secured a peace treaty and marriage alliance between Konoha and the Hidden Whirlpool Village, while Manji spent five years binding the clans’ interests to the village. Once Konoha was firmly established, Manji finally became its First Hokage in a grand ceremony.

• Hashirama returned from the Hidden Whirlpool Village with Uzumaki Ashina’s offer of a marriage alliance through his daughter Mito, and Manji approved the marriage after Hashirama agreed.
• Madara objected out of concern that Ashina was plotting to manipulate Hashirama, but Manji promised to take responsibility and Madara relented.
• Hashirama married Mito Uzumaki, formalizing an alliance between Konoha and the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
• Over five years, Manji assigned clans roles in businesses and village institutions, strengthening their ties to Konoha and deepening their loyalty.
• Konoha residents and representatives from across the Ninja World gathered as Manji was inaugurated as Konoha’s First Hokage.

Manji maintained Konoha’s peaceful order as ninja clans elsewhere began planning to establish villages. At the Ninja Academy’s entrance ceremony, he welcomed a generation raised in peace and offered advice, while young Danzō, Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Kagami began their academy years.

• Manji continued governing Konoha steadily, and ninja clans in other nations recognized the need to reform and began planning villages.
• Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen reunited at the Ninja Academy entrance ceremony and were joined by Koharu and Homura.
• Kagami Uchiha’s father warned him to uphold the Uchiha name before Kagami joined the new students.
• Manji addressed the students, urging them to protect their comrades, their home, and the peace.
• Shimura Danzō asked Manji for advice, and Manji told the students to stay optimistic, not be afraid, endure, and eat well.

Manji announced that he was resigning as Hokage and retiring from Konoha’s affairs, saying he had fulfilled his life’s mission and was too frail to continue. He named Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Izuna as candidates and called for the villagers to elect the next Hokage.

• Manji summoned Konoha’s senior officials, reviewed the village’s progress, and praised Hashirama and Madara.
• Manji announced his resignation and retirement, shocking the assembled officials and prompting them to plead with him to stay.
• Manji explained that Konoha was secure and that his age and frailty no longer allowed him to bear the Hokage’s duties.
• When the Sarutobi Clan Head asked about his successor, Manji named Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Izuna as candidates.
• Manji rejected hereditary succession and strength-based selection, declaring that the people of Konoha would vote for the next Hokage.
• Manji thanked the officials for accepting his retirement request and adjourned the meeting.

Mu and Ōnoki visited Konoha to request an alliance and trade routes, and Manji received them despite his illness. Manji agreed to their request, leaving Madara displeased but silent.

• Mu reassured Ōnoki that Konoha would welcome them before they reached the village gates and requested an audience with the First Hokage.
• At Manji's bedside, Madara protested against receiving the unfamiliar Iwagakure emissaries, but Manji invited them to his residence.
• Mu introduced himself and Ōnoki to Manji, and the group exchanged pleasantries about Iwagakure and their journey.
• Mu asked Konoha to form an alliance with Iwagakure and open trade routes between their countries.
• Manji agreed to Mu's request while Madara suppressed his objections.

After agreeing to an alliance with Iwagakure, Manji collapsed and the medical ninja revealed that his life had reached its end. Surrounded by Konoha’s clan leaders and his family, Manji gave them his final charge to protect the village, then died, leaving Konoha without a chosen successor.

• Manji agreed to an alliance with Iwagakure and offered Mu a state banquet before Mu and Ōnoki departed.
• Madara questioned the alliance, and Manji explained that a future Hokage needed to build friendships and balance rival powers.
• Manji suddenly collapsed, and Madara called for medical ninjas.
• The medical ninja told the assembled clan leaders and Manji’s family that Manji could not be saved because his lifespan had reached its limit.
• Manji urged everyone to stand together and protect Konoha, then died as Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, Izuna, and the clan leaders mourned.

Manji’s death triggered a joint funeral for him and Uchiha Tajima, who died after hearing the news, leaving Konoha and the Ninja World mourning. In the Pure Land, Hagoromo realized that Manji had been the Sage of Six Paths, while Tajima awoke in the afterlife.

• Konoha announced that Manji had died, and Uchiha Tajima collapsed and died after learning that his grandfather was gone.
• Madara Uchiha, Izuna, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hyuga Tenin, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire carried Manji and Tajima’s coffins in a grand funeral procession.
• Mu and Ōnoki attended the funeral, and Mu reflected that Manji’s death ended an age of glory.
• Black Zetsu and Fukasaku recorded Manji’s passing at Mount Myōboku, while Kaguya and Uchiha Hikari anticipated his return.
• After phones in the Pure Land turned black and white, Hagoromo learned that Manji had died and realized he had once been known as the Sage of Six Paths.
• Uchiha Tajima opened his eyes in the Pure Land and wondered whether he was dead.

Uchiha Tajima arrived in the Pure Land and learned from Uchiha Chen that his grandfather had never appeared there, suggesting the elder was still alive. Meanwhile, the supposedly dead Manji had returned to middle age and opened Ichiraku Ramen with Kakuzu in Konoha, where Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō came to try the food.

• Uchiha Chen welcomed Uchiha Tajima to the Pure Land and introduced him to Uchiha Sha, who left to visit a restaurant she had found on her phone.
• Uchiha Tajima asked about his grandfather, and Uchiha Chen realized the elder had never come to the Pure Land and might still be alive.
• Manji, alive and returned to middle age, ran a new ramen shop with Kakuzu, who had given up thoughts of escape after seeing Manji's power.
• Manji named the shop Ichiraku Ramen and told Kakuzu to learn recipes for additional fast-food dishes.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō visited the shop, and Manji invited them to taste the ramen that the First Hokage had praised.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo discussed their clans’ support for the upcoming Hokage election while eating Manji’s ramen and praising his Coca-Cola. Meanwhile, Madara and Hashirama agreed to compete fairly for the position, but Hashirama’s offer to take turns as Hokage left Madara offended.

• Sarutobi told Danzo that the Sarutobi Clan would support Hashirama, while Danzo said he personally favored Madara but had to follow the Shimura Clan’s decision.
• Manji said ordinary people cared more about peaceful lives and comfortable livelihoods than which candidate won, earning Hiruzen’s approval.
• Kakuzu served Sarutobi and Danzo honey-glazed pork ramen, which they eagerly devoured, and Hiruzen asked Danzo to buy extra Coca-Cola for him.
• After the boys left, Kakuzu questioned Manji’s limit on Coca-Cola purchases, and Manji explained that scarcity made a product more valuable.
• Madara told Hashirama they should compete fairly for the Hokage position, but Hashirama’s offer to step down and let Madara take over later angered him.

Hashirama Senju won Konoha’s Hokage election and appointed Madara Uchiha as his assistant, but the village’s leaders disagreed over whether to unify the Ninja World through economic influence or war. Izuna Uchiha challenged the case for war by revealing that most villagers supported fighting in principle but did not want themselves or their loved ones sent to battle.

• Hyuga Tenin announced that Hashirama Senju had won the Hokage election, and Konoha Square erupted in cheers.
• Hashirama Senju named Madara Uchiha his Hokage Assistant, and Madara accepted while vowing to challenge him again someday.
• At a later meeting, Hashirama Senju proposed uniting the Ninja World through Konoha’s economic and cultural influence, while Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju argued for immediate war.
• Izuna Uchiha opposed war and presented survey results showing that most villagers would fight for Konoha but would not send themselves or their loved ones to the battlefield.

Izuna argued against starting a war, warning Madara that the Mangekyō Sharingan’s strain and the cost of losing loved ones made war unacceptable. Later, Hashirama, Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama visited Ichiraku Ramen, where Manji and Kakuzu served them while Kakuzu worried their identities might be discovered.

• Izuna asked Madara what he would do if Izuna became the necessary sacrifice in a war, and Madara fell silent.
• Izuna warned that the Mangekyō Sharingan could not sustain a war and that Madara’s worsening vision made battlefield fighting dangerous.
• Hashirama tried to persuade Madara to preserve peace, while Madara voiced his fear that peace would collapse after they died and Tobirama warned that other villages might target Konoha.
• Hashirama, Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama joked about marriage on their way home, then decided to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.
• Manji explained to Kakuzu that he meant earning money when he called Kakuzu a fan of farming, and Kakuzu denied liking farming.
• Hashirama ordered four servings of the house specialty, and Kakuzu asked Manji whether they should hide their identities; Manji said there was no need.

Manji watched Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna get along, then realized they had no money to pay for their ramen. Meanwhile, Black Zetsu, Fukasaku, and A-Fei prepared to carry out the Great Sage’s mission, each heading to a different land.

• Manji decided not to provoke conflict between Madara and Hashirama, but reflected that the four of them still could not unite the Ninja World.
• Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara admitted they had no money to pay for their ramen, and Manji refused to let them pay later.
• Black Zetsu and Fukasaku received the Great Sage’s mission and prepared to leave Mount Myōboku.
• A-Fei joined them, revealed his Senjutsu let attacks pass through his body, and said he was assigned to the Land of Rain.
• Black Zetsu set out for the Land of Earth, Fukasaku for the Land of Water, and A-Fei for the Land of Rain.

Mu discovered the Yatagarasu Sage Art, Hozuki Gengetsu prepared to become Mizukage, and Tobi founded Akatsuki. Eight years later, Madara Uchiha became the Third Hokage and ordered the other villages to attend a Five Kage Summit, prompting Mu to reluctantly agree to go.

• Black Zetsu led Mu to an ancient crater, where Mu uncovered a stone tablet containing the Yatagarasu Sage Art.
• Hozuki Gengetsu told Sage Fukasaku that he had learned Senjutsu, and Fukasaku advised him to wait until he became Mizukage before deciding what to do next.
• Tobi chose a hidden cave in the Land of Rain as Akatsuki's base and told White Zetsu to call him Tobi.
• Eight years later, Hashirama Senju retired, Madara Uchiha became the Third Hokage, and Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu became Tsuchikage and Mizukage.
• Madara Uchiha ordered the other villages to attend a Five Kage Summit in Konoha, and Black Zetsu advised Mu to comply rather than invite trouble.