Chapter Summaries

Manji and Hatake Sakumo fought Bunpuku, the Perfect Jinchuriki of the One-Tail, to a draw and became known as the Two Lights of Konoha. Back at camp, Manji learned that Sakumo had feelings for a medical corps kunoichi, though Sakumo chose to wait until after the war to pursue her.

• Bunpuku redirected Manji's defense against his Tailed Beast Bomb and confronted Manji and Hatake Sakumo, while Shukaku recognized Manji as his teacher.
• Manji told Shukaku to fight normally, and Manji and Hatake Sakumo later fought Bunpuku to a draw.
• Konoha named Manji and Hatake Sakumo the Two Lights of Konoha, prompting the Third Kazekage to order Sunagakure Ninja to retreat if they encountered them.
• Manji teased Hatake Sakumo about his closeness with a medical corps kunoichi, and Sakumo said he would wait until after the war to pursue her.

Madara Uchiha, Izuna, and Tobirama learned that the Land of Whirlpools had fallen and discussed a mysterious Konoha talent named Manji. In the Pure Land, the Uzumaki Clan mourned its destruction while the gathered dead wondered why Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama had not arrived.

• Madara Uchiha said White Zetsu had been sent to find Uzumaki infants and reaffirmed his plan to use Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Madara, Izuna, and Tobirama noticed reports of Manji, whose name reminded Izuna of their great-grandfather.
• Uzumaki Yu saw the entire Uzumaki Clan arriving in the Pure Land, and the Last Uzumaki Clan Head accused Konoha of abandoning them.
• The Last Hagoromo Clan Head mocked the Uzumaki, while Senju Tsuru, Senju Futian, Senju Shuichi, and the First Uzumaki Clan Head joined the gathering.
• Hashirama Senju, Uchiha Tajima, and the others questioned why Madara, Izuna, Tobirama, and Uchiha Tai had not appeared in the Pure Land.
• Senju Shuichi offered to call his father and ask Sage Ninshū about their absence.

Manji visited Kakuzu, Kinkaku, and Ginkaku at the Bounty Station and gave Kakuzu the Earth Grudge Fear technique. Seven years later, Nawaki died in an explosive-tag blast on the Amegakure front, and Manji comforted Tsunade after telling her not to look at his remains.

• Manji revealed his identity to Kakuzu, Kinkaku, and Ginkaku, reassured them, and gave Kakuzu the Earth Grudge Fear technique with a warning not to kill innocent people.
• Seven years passed as Manji and Hatake Sakumo guarded the Sunagakure front while fierce battles continued at Amegakure and Iwagakure.
• Orochimaru let Nawaki pursue the remaining enemies to earn merit, but Nawaki triggered a hidden explosive tag and was killed.
• Orochimaru found Nawaki's remains and grieved, blaming himself for sending his student into danger.
• Manji returned to Konoha and mourned Nawaki's death quietly.
• Tsunade rushed to Manji for news, and he stopped her from seeing Nawaki's remains before catching and comforting her as she broke down.

After Nawaki’s death, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Manji to stay in Konoha and help Tsunade while taking charge of three young shinobi. Manji formed Konoha Team One with Minato Namikaze, Uzumaki Kushina, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke, then took them on an A-rank mission.

• Manji reassured Sarutobi Hiruzen after Nawaki’s death, and Hiruzen asked him to remain in Konoha to support Tsunade.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen named Minato Namikaze, Uzumaki Kushina, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke as Manji’s trainees, and Manji accepted.
• Manji introduced himself as their guiding teacher, and the three students shared their names and dreams of becoming Hokage.
• Manji formed Konoha Team One without holding a bell test and took the team on an A-rank mission that afternoon.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen worried that the young team might struggle, but Manji confidently said they would not fail.

Manji trained Team Manji through dangerous missions, then oversaw Uzumaki Kushina’s transfer into the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki role after Mito Uzumaki died. The chapter ended with Tsunade confessing that she wanted more than friendship, while Manji misunderstood her words as a challenge.

• Manji led Team Manji on repeated high-rank missions, strengthening the squad and preventing Kushina’s abduction by Kumogakure ninja.
• Konoha mourned Mito Uzumaki at a rainy cemetery memorial, where Manji comforted Minato Namikaze with reflections on rain and the past.
• Two months later, Manji oversaw the Nine-Tails transfer to Kushina, who completed the sealing ceremony without pain.
• Tsunade visited Manji at home and declared that she no longer wanted to be just friends with him.
• Manji mistook Tsunade’s confession for a threat and secretly prepared a killing move.

Manji accepted Tsunade’s confession, while Ōtsutsuki Kaguya watched their romance and erupted in jealousy. Elsewhere, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo refused to reveal secrets about Manji, and Madara Uchiha’s group prepared to approach Uzumaki Nagato.

• Tsunade confessed her feelings to Manji, and he accepted, comforting her as she mourned Nawaki and her grandmother.
• Ōtsutsuki Kaguya watched Manji and Tsunade kiss through a crystal ball, then smashed it and vowed to imprison Manji and kill Tsunade.
• Manji and Tsunade baked together at home while she happily ate his cakes.
• Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo refused to tell Hashirama, Tajima, and the others about Manji’s age or identity, and they left without answers.
• Madara Uchiha, Tobirama Senju, and Uchiha Izuna located Uzumaki Nagato, and Madara sent A-Fei to transplant eyes into him.

Tsunade left Konoha with Manji to treat the poison on the Amegakure front, where she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru fought Hanzō of the Salamander and earned the name Konoha Sannin. After Manji’s arrival forced Hanzō to retreat, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan asked the group to take them as students, leaving Jiraiya unsure how to respond.

• Tsunade received word that Hanzō’s poison was devastating Konoha’s forces, and Manji agreed to accompany her to Amegakure.
• Hanzō faced Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru in battle, then called them the Konoha Sannin after they survived his attacks and poison gas.
• Hanzō prepared to kill the exhausted trio but retreated when Manji appeared on the battlefield.
• Manji found Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan hiding nearby, and Yahiko asked the group to take them as students.
• Manji left with Tsunade while Jiraiya considered the children’s request.

Jiraiya stayed behind to care for three war orphans while Manji continued his battlefield duties, saving Dan Katō and Kizashi Mekata as the Second Shinobi World War neared its end. After the ceasefire, Sarutobi Hiruzen honored Manji and Hatake Sakumo with the Hokage Half-Sleeve.

• Jiraiya decided to remain with the three orphans, while Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Manji returned to Konoha.
• Manji returned to the Land of Wind and learned that Hatake Sakumo had already killed Chiyo's son and his wife.
• Manji found Dan Katō's squad near annihilation and drove off their attackers, saving Dan Katō and Kizashi Mekata.
• Iwagakure, Amegakure, and Sunagakure proposed ceasefires, and the Second Shinobi World War ended with a signed agreement.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected Shimura Danzō's plan to attack an enemy village and awarded Manji and Hatake Sakumo the Hokage Half-Sleeve.

After marrying Tsunade, Manji was offered the Hokage position by Sarutobi Hiruzen but refused, saying he was too young. He returned home to tell Tsunade what the old man had wanted.

• Manji and Tsunade married alongside Hatake Sakumo and a kunoichi medic at a celebration attended by Konoha's shinobi.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen decided Manji was the strongest candidate to succeed him as Hokage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Manji, discussed the village's future with him, and asked him to become Hokage.
• Manji refused the position, saying he was too young, and Sarutobi Hiruzen told him to think it over.
• Shimura Danzo argued that Manji was unfit to be Hokage and implied the position should go to one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's students.
• Manji told Tsunade that Sarutobi Hiruzen had asked him to become Hokage.

Manji told Tsunade he had refused the Hokage position, while Danzo and Orochimaru moved to seize power from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Hiruzen chose to step down rather than risk a civil war, and Danzo ordered him to retire without addressing the village.

• Manji told Tsunade he had turned down the Hokage position, and Tsunade teased him about wanting her instead.
• Danzo told Orochimaru that the Daimyo had agreed to appoint him Hokage, and Orochimaru asked him not to hurt their teacher, Hiruzen.
• Orochimaru sent the Anbu away from the Hokage Building, while Danzo placed Root operatives there for Sarutobi Hiruzen's return.
• Danzo showed Sarutobi Hiruzen the Daimyo's appointment decree and declared that he would take over as Hokage with Orochimaru's support.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen removed his Hokage hat and agreed to step down to prevent Konoha from falling into civil war.
• Danzo refused to let Sarutobi Hiruzen summon the elders and Jonin, ordering him to write his resignation and go to a sanatorium.

Danzo seized the Hokage position with the Daimyo’s appointment, and Manji chose not to oppose him. The chapter ended with Danzo recognized as Konoha’s Sixth Hokage while Manji watched to see how he would lead.

• Manji attended the leadership meeting with Hatake Sakumo, where Danzo arrived with Orochimaru and announced Sarutobi Hiruzen’s resignation and his own appointment as Sixth Hokage.
• Hatake Sakumo challenged Danzo’s succession, arguing that the Jonin Council had not voted on it.
• Uchiha Setsuna, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura supported Danzo, and the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans followed.
• Uchiha Kagami and Torifu Akimichi stayed silent, while Manji stopped Sakumo from continuing his objection.
• Manji agreed to Danzo’s succession, and Danzo declared himself Konoha’s Sixth as the meeting gave scattered applause.

Danzo took office as the Sixth Hokage and began planning to clear the names of Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju while turning against Hatake Sakumo. At Sakumo’s home, Manji named Sakumo’s newborn son Kakashi, then taught his newly promoted Jonin students the Rasengan.

• Danzo became the Sixth Hokage and vowed to clear Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju’s names while condemning Hatake Sakumo for opposing him.
• Hatake Sakumo asked Manji to name his newborn son, and Manji chose Kakashi Hatake with Miwa’s approval.
• Tsunade teased Manji about having a child of their own, while Minato Namikaze, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and Uzumaki Kushina arrived to announce their Jonin promotions.
• Manji demonstrated his hand-seal-less technique, the Rasengan, and began teaching it to the three students.
• Kushina sensed that the Rasengan felt familiar to another technique.

Manji taught Kushina, Minato Namikaze, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke the Rasengan after they became Jonin, while Tsunade pulled him inside and flirted with him as the three practiced outside. At the Graveyard of Mountains, A-Fei reported that Shimura Danzo had taken power as Konoha’s Sixth and might clear Madara Uchiha and Tobirama’s names, leaving Uchiha Izuna worried about Sarutobi Hiruzen.

• Manji explained that he had developed the Rasengan based on the Tailed Beast Bomb, and Kushina challenged Minato Namikaze and Sarutobi Shinnosuke to try to defeat her.
• Tsunade praised Manji for training his three disciples after learning they had become Jonin, then pulled him into the house while they practiced the Rasengan outside.
• Tsunade flirted with Manji in the kitchen, while Kushina wondered from the bamboo grove whether they were arguing.
• A-Fei reported to Madara Uchiha, Tobirama, and Izuna that Shimura Danzo had seized power as Konoha’s Sixth and might clear their names.
• Uchiha Izuna worried about Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Madara Uchiha remarked that Danzo was one of Izuna’s disciples.

Danzo secretly used Orochimaru to kill Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, easing the border crisis while hiding Konoha’s involvement. Manji and Tsunade attended the Academy entrance ceremony, where they met Kakashi, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and several familiar children, while Obito was still absent.

• A-Fei reported that Sarutobi Hiruzen had retired peacefully and that Sixth Danzo was secretly gathering troops, prompting Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha to suspect he was preparing for war.
• Kushina rushed into the kitchen after hearing strange sounds but found Manji baking a cake and Tsunade in the bathroom.
• Danzo sent Orochimaru to target Kumogakure’s Jinchuriki, and Orochimaru killed Blue B after making the Eight-Tails rampage, forcing Kumogakure’s border forces to withdraw.
• Manji read news of the Jinchuriki’s death and, with Tsunade, went to the Academy entrance ceremony, where they met Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with his young son Sarutobi Asuma, and Manji noticed that Uchiha Obito had not yet arrived.

Manji and Tsunade visited the Ninja Academy, where an old graduation photo exposed a gap in Manji’s fabricated past. On their way out, Manji helped the late Obito Uchiha get his enrollment papers, while Tsunade hurried him home.

• Tsunade noticed Manji was missing from her graduation photo and complained that the school had lost her husband's picture.
• Manji cut their visit short and led Tsunade away from the corridor before she could find more inconsistencies.
• At the school gate, Umino Ikkaku told Manji that his new student Obito Uchiha had not arrived for his first day.
• Manji stopped the late Obito, who explained he had helped an old lady, and gave him the enrollment papers he had picked up.
• Obito thanked Manji, then watched as Tsunade dragged him home in a hurry.

Shimura Danzō sent Hatake Sakumo on a long-term S-rank mission that later failed, and Sakumo was publicly blamed and left in despair. Manji stopped Sakumo from taking his own life and began to challenge his belief that he had betrayed Konoha.

• Shimura Danzō assigned Hatake Sakumo a long-term S-rank mission with two teammates, and Sakumo accepted the order.
• Months later, news spread that Sakumo had caused a top-secret mission to fail while saving his comrades, and Danzō did nothing to defend him.
• Manji recognized the mission's failure as a conspiracy by Danzō and went to check on Sakumo.
• Manji found Sakumo preparing to kill himself and caught his wrist before the blade reached his abdomen.
• Manji took the blade from Sakumo and asked why he would kill himself over the incident.

Manji talked Hatake Sakumo out of suicide and encouraged him to face Konoha’s anger, while public support and Obito’s words restored Sakumo’s confidence. Shimura Danzō learned that Sakumo was happily eating at Ichiraku Ramen and failed to have the stall cleared.

• Manji told Hatake Sakumo that Danzō had set him up and urged him to live for his family and wait for public opinion to change.
• Manji splashed ice water on Sakumo, who then changed clothes and went out to eat with him.
• Konoha residents came forward to support Sakumo for saving his comrades, and Obito declared that he believed Konoha’s White Fang was a true hero.
• Sakumo thanked Obito, regained his confidence, and ate at a crowded street-food stall with the supportive crowd.
• Shimura Danzō saw Sakumo enjoying food at Ichiraku Ramen and ordered the stall cleared, but his aide explained that Hashirama had granted it a hundred-year lease.

Jiraiya reunited with Manji, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo over dinner, where old feelings for Tsunade resurfaced and the group discussed Danzo’s growing control of Konoha. Jiraiya left to look for Orochimaru, who was now with Danzo.

• Hatake Sakumo recalled that Manji had stopped him from killing himself, and Jiraiya joined him and the others for a meal.
• Jiraiya felt renewed regret seeing Tsunade happily married to Manji and remembered crying when he learned of their wedding.
• Jiraiya told Manji and Tsunade that he hoped his students in Amegakure were safe and planned to leave Konoha after visiting his friends and teacher.
• A Root ninja approached the group after overhearing them discuss Danzo, but Manji joked that Jiraiya wanted to become Hokage, easing the tension.
• Manji explained that Danzo was planting plainclothes ninja to gauge public opinion as he prepared for war, and Jiraiya lamented how Konoha had changed.
• Jiraiya asked where Orochimaru was, learned he was with Danzo, and left to see him.

Jiraiya learned that Orochimaru was pursuing immortality, while Manji discovered that the Third Kazekage had disappeared and met with Danzo about the looming war. Manji refused to lead the Kumogakure front but promised to help Konoha if it faced danger, then returned home to Tsunade.

• Jiraiya visited the graves of Shopkeeper Manji and Kakuzu with Orochimaru, who revealed that he was trying to uncover the secret of immortality.
• Manji and Tsunade saw a report that the Third Kazekage had disappeared, which Manji recognized as a sign that the Third Shinobi World War was approaching.
• An Anbu summoned Manji to an urgent meeting with Danzo, and Tsunade worried that Danzo might be setting a trap.
• Danzo asked Manji to command Konoha's forces against Kumogakure, but Manji refused to lead the army because he opposed war.
• Manji promised to help if Konoha faced a crisis and returned home after midnight, where Tsunade embraced him and insisted on continuing their lesson.

As the Ninja World War spread, Manji discovered that Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga had been born in Mount Myōboku, where he met the brothers. Two years into the war, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan founded an organization in Amegakure and chose the name Akatsuki.

• Iwagakure attacked Sunagakure, Kumogakure struck Iwagakure, Danzo sent Konoha forces against the other nations, and Kirigakure attacked the waters off the Land of Fire.
• Manji checked the Hyuga military roster, learned Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga were absent from Konoha, and realized they had been born in Mount Myōboku.
• Manji summoned Hiashi and Hizashi, learned they were university interns who had no interest in becoming shinobi, and respected their choice.
• Two years into the war, Minato Namikaze earned the title Yellow Flash and Sarutobi Shinnosuke became the Master of Five Releases, while Danzo kept Kushina confined in Konoha.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan discussed a name for their organization, and a companion suggested they revive the name Akatsuki.
• Yahiko accepted the name Akatsuki, inspired by the earlier group founded by Tobi to save Amegakure.