Chapter Summaries

Yagami and Nara Meika traveled toward the Land of Earth with Tian Chu's corpse, then discussed using bounty targets to fund Konoha and the need for a faster intelligence network and interception force. After Meika raised concerns about Root's losses, the pair became intimate, with Meika using her shadow to control Yagami.

• Yagami spared the three Sand genin who had pursued him and continued north with Nara Meika and Tian Chu's corpse.
• Nara Meika explained how the Land of Wind's mountain oasis had formed and described the political negotiations that gave the Daimyo credit for it.
• Yagami and Nara Meika rested in Teikoku Town, where Meika proposed that Konoha intercept enemy bounty targets to claim the rewards.
• Yagami said the plan required better intelligence and a rapid response unit made up of exceptionally fast ninja, and suggested Kuroari as a squad leader.
• Nara Meika reported that three of Root's twenty new recruits had died in training, then used her shadow to control Yagami as they became intimate.

Yagami and Nara Meika traveled across several nations to collect Tadehito’s bounty and establish a route for Konoha to use the Underground Exchange. After reporting their plan to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Yagami left to visit Root.

• Nara Meika and Yagami collected the first portion of Tadehito’s sixteen-million-ryo bounty at an Underground Exchange in the Land of Earth.
• They collected the second cash box in the Land of Falls, and Yagami investigated the third drop in the Land of Grass before Nara Meika retrieved it.
• On their return journey, Nara Meika told Yagami that they would have few chances to meet once he returned to the Anbu Base.
• Nara Shikatsuno proposed that Konoha combine ANBU assassinations with bounties through the Underground Exchange, and Sarutobi Hiruzen heard his plan.
• Yagami left the Hokage’s Office and went to visit Root.

Yagami learned that Orochimaru was experimenting on ten children with Senju blood, but postponed warning Tsunade to keep Danzo from gaining Wood Release too soon. While searching for Tsunade, he encountered White Zetsu leaving Konoha and realized it had already targeted young Obito.

• Danzo brutally struck a Root recruit during training, while Yagami resolved to resume his attacks on the Shimura Clan.
• Orochimaru showed Yagami ten children with Senju blood and explained that he planned to use them in transplantation experiments once Root gathered more subjects.
• Yagami reported his mission and Root's experiments to Yellow Dog, then considered warning Tsunade but decided to wait.
• Yagami sensed and pursued White Zetsu through Konoha's underground organic network, but it escaped beyond the village walls.
• Yagami saw young Obito with an old man and considered killing him, but spared him to avoid letting Madara choose another successor and lose control of intelligence.

Yagami told Tsunade that Root was abducting children with Senju bloodlines for Orochimaru’s Wood Release experiments, then persuaded her to gather evidence instead of attacking Root. After Yagami arranged another strike against the Shimura Clan, Tsunade confronted Orochimaru, who admitted he was experimenting on the children.

• Yagami told Tsunade that ten children with Senju bloodlines had gone missing and that Root was using them to research Wood Release.
• Tsunade tried to rush to Root’s base, but Yagami stopped her and urged her to approach Orochimaru and collect evidence before Root moved its laboratory.
• Yagami met Yuka and sent her and Haichao to the migrating Capital of the Land of Grass to kill another Shimura Clan jonin.
• Tsunade waited for Orochimaru at his home and asked whether he was experimenting on children with Senju bloodlines.
• Orochimaru admitted to Tsunade that he was using the children for experiments.

Tsunade confronted Orochimaru about experimenting on children with Senju blood, then challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen over Root’s abductions. Hiruzen denied the accusation and ordered Danzo to strengthen Root’s defenses against Tsunade.

• Orochimaru admitted that he was experimenting on Senju-blooded children and explained that the Wood Release research had begun under Senju Tobirama, while arguing that Konoha needed the power to fight Tailed Beasts.
• Orochimaru said he would ask Danzo to stop capturing Senju-blooded children, though he could not promise Danzo would agree.
• Tsunade confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen at the Hokage Building about Root abducting children, and he took her upstairs to speak privately.
• Hiruzen claimed the missing children might have been taken by foreign spies and promised an investigation, but Tsunade accused him of hypocrisy after revealing Orochimaru’s admission.
• Hiruzen insisted that Danzo and he had deceived Orochimaru about the test subjects’ bloodlines, then summoned Danzo and the Lynx Squad Captain.
• Hiruzen told Danzo that Tsunade knew Root had taken Senju-blooded children and ordered him to strengthen Root’s defenses.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo pressed ahead with Orochimaru’s Wood Release experiments while the Senju investigated missing children with Senju blood. Tsunade killed five Root operatives attempting to abduct an orphan, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen to decide whether to call them ANBU or spies.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen urged Danzo to accelerate the Wood Release research and suggested Lynx temporarily support Root, but Danzo refused.
• Senju Minami found Kazematsuri Yuzu a new lead connecting missing children to the Senju bloodline and assigned her to protect an orphan.
• Root sent an ANBU squad leader and four trainees to capture the orphan, while Kazematsuri Yuzu detected their approach.
• Tsunade appeared beside the orphan and killed the squad leader and four Root trainees as they tried to seize him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, Orochimaru, Lynx, and Yagami arrived, and Yagami wondered whether Sarutobi Hiruzen would identify the dead as ANBU or spies.

Tsunade killed Root recruits and a Lynx Squad leader, then defended her actions as killing spies and arranged protection for Senju-blooded orphans. Hiruzen learned she had reached Kage-level, while Orochimaru argued that being impossible for a Kage-level ninja to kill might also count as Kage-level; several days later, Minato Namikaze was about to graduate.

• Tsunade claimed the dead Root recruits and Lynx Squad leader were spies, and Hiruzen backed her account as Danzo took the bodies away.
• Tsunade warned Minami she would retaliate if the village escalated the conflict and ordered the Senju-blooded orphans protected in the Senju Clan Compound.
• Orochimaru told Hiruzen that Tsunade had mastered the Yin Seal and Hundred Healings Technique and would have beaten him in a continued fight.
• Hiruzen recognized Tsunade as a Kage Level Ninja, then asked whether Orochimaru had reached Kage-level; Orochimaru said no, but claimed no Kage-level ninja could kill him.
• Several days later, Hiruzen spoke about the Will of Fire at the Ninja Academy as Yagami protected him, and Minato Namikaze prepared to graduate.

At the Ninja Academy graduation, Jiraiya returned from Mount Myōboku seeking Minato Namikaze, whom he believed was the Child of Prophecy. Sarutobi Hiruzen told him Minato had already been assigned to Hatake Sakumo, and Jiraiya left Konoha again after asking Hiruzen to track Minato’s progress; late that night, Yagami received a call from Yuka through their contract Chakra.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen addressed the graduating students, while Minato Namikaze listened attentively and Uzumaki Kushina eagerly anticipated becoming a ninja.
• Jiraiya appeared at the Academy and announced that he had come to take the prophesied blond student as his disciple, but Yagami stopped him from approaching Minato Namikaze.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Jiraiya that Hatake Sakumo had already been assigned Minato Namikaze and had trained him for over a year.
• Tsunade took Uzumaki Kushina and two other students as her team, while Hatake Sakumo selected Minato Namikaze and two civilian ninjas.
• Jiraiya asked Sarutobi Hiruzen to record Minato Namikaze’s growth, then left for Mount Myōboku after dismissing the idea of teaching Asuma Sarutobi.
• Yagami woke late that night when Yuka called to him through their contract Chakra.

Yagami infiltrated the Land of Grass migration convoy and let Shimura Hyōya kill him to gain chakra, but the weak reward left him furious. After returning to the past, he attacked the convoy again and kicked Hyōya away, leaving Hyuga Shin to recognize the familiar pattern of a Guardian Ninja Captain’s impending death.

• Uzumaki Yuka told Yagami that the Land of Grass capital’s migration convoy offered a chance to attack the Shimura Clan Guardian Ninja, and she reported that Kushina had graduated under Tsunade.
• Disguised as a shepherd, Yagami attacked the convoy, tested Shimura Hyōya’s Wind Release, and allowed Hyōya to kill him.
• Yagami returned to the previous full moon with only a small increase in chakra and vowed to kill Hyōya for providing such a poor reward.
• Yagami infiltrated the migrating convoy again and sent Shadow Clones to attack the Guardian Ninja around the Daimyo’s carriage.
• Yagami kicked Shimura Hyōya off the carriage, while Hyuga Shin recognized the resemblance to Shimura Kōhi’s earlier death.

Hyuga Shin and Sarutobi Shizudo witnessed Sarutobi Kinosuke destroy the Shimura squad with the Great Five Element Combo, then spare Shizudo and vanish. Kinosuke warned Shimura Danzō to stop investigating Lord Madara, leaving the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans facing turmoil.

• Hyuga Shin protected the Daimyo from Sarutobi Kinosuke’s Fire Style while the Guardian Ninja escorted the Daimyo away.
• Sarutobi Kinosuke unleashed the Great Five Element Combo and killed Shimura Hyōya and the other three Shimura ninja in a massive explosion.
• Sarutobi Kinosuke knocked Sarutobi Shizudo aside, spared him because he was a Sarutobi, and warned him not to interfere again.
• Sarutobi Kinosuke told Sarutobi Shizudo to warn Shimura Danzō that he would kill Shimura ninja who investigated Lord Madara, then vanished underground.
• Hyuga Shin thanked Sarutobi Shizudo for surviving because of his clan ties, while Shizudo reflected on the Sarutobi Clan’s predicament.

Yagami assessed the shortage of Elite Jonin whose Chakra Quantity he could safely farm, then reviewed Konoha’s roster and continued monitoring Uzumaki Kushina. He was called to inspect a new barrier that restricted Kushina’s movements, and the Third Hokage asked for his opinion on it.

• Yagami planned to identify suitable Elite Jonin targets after realizing that few could be farmed without creating future trouble.
• Yagami obtained Konoha’s ninja roster and counted sixteen Elite Jonin besides himself.
• While Yagami monitored Kushina, she argued with Tsunade about being kept from dangerous missions and remained determined to uncover the truth behind the Uzumaki Clan’s destruction.
• A special barrier appeared over the area, and Flower Deer summoned Yagami to the Barrier Team.
• Yamanaka Inoen explained that the Nine-Tails Barrier confined Kushina to a three-kilometer radius around the Senju Clan Compound and would alert the team if she left.
• The Third Hokage asked Yagami what he thought of the barrier because of his skill with Sealing Jutsu.

Yagami warned the Third Hokage that testing the Nine-Tails Barrier could provoke the Nine-Tails, and the warning proved correct when Kushina crossed its edge. Tsunade later tampered with Kushina’s seal to train her in controlling the Nine-Tails, and Yagami was summoned to the Hokage’s Office after training ended.

• Yagami warned the Third Hokage and Yamanaka Inoen that entering Kushina’s mind could anger the Nine-Tails, but the Third Hokage ordered a test of the barrier.
• The barrier’s warning triggered the Nine-Tails, which knocked out the Barrier Team and Yamanaka ninjas with a soul attack before Tsunade calmed Kushina using the First Hokage’s Necklace.
• The Third Hokage restricted Kushina’s movements to within three kilometers of the Senju Clan Compound, prompting Tsunade to take her back there.
• Tsunade released part of Kushina’s seal and began training her to control the Nine-Tails, alarming Yagami and the ANBU as the Third Hokage arrived.
• After Kushina finished training the following night, an ANBU told Yagami that the Hokage had summoned him to the Hokage’s Office.

Konoha’s leaders established two investigation corps to pursue Uchiha Madara in the Land of Rain and Sarutobi Kinosuke in the Land of Grass. As the Uchiha and Sarutobi clans prepared to send companies, Yagami questioned whether the Lynx Squad and ANBU itself were under Danzo’s control.

• Danzo called for pursuit forces after Sarutobi Kinosuke attacked the Land of Grass Daimyo, and Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed forming two investigation corps to gather intelligence.
• Danzo assigned Uchiha jonin, a reconnaissance squad, and the Fox Squad to investigate Uchiha Madara, while Sarutobi jonin, another reconnaissance squad, and the Lynx Squad were ordered to investigate and kill Sarutobi Kinosuke.
• Uchiha Zhong told Uchiha Fugaku that the clan had been ordered to lead the Madara investigation, but that the Fox Squad would accompany them.
• Yagami asked Yellow Dog whether the Lynx Squad belonged to ANBU or Danzo and argued that the ANBU Director position should belong to ANBU.

Fox persuaded Yellow Dog to seek control of Root’s remaining spy systems by warning that ANBU’s upcoming missions could fail without reliable intelligence. Yellow Dog gained Nara Shikatsuno’s support to bring the proposal to the Hokage, while keeping his ambitions to become Anbu Director unspoken.

• Yagami urged Yellow Dog to pursue the Anbu Director position and enlist Nara Shikatsuno’s support by proposing that ANBU take over Root’s spy systems.
• Yagami warned Yellow Dog that ANBU’s missions to the Land of Rain and Land of Grass faced danger from the Land of Earth and that the missions could cripple ANBU’s mobile forces.
• Yellow Dog accepted Yagami’s argument and went with him to meet Nara Shikatsuno.
• Yellow Dog told Nara Shikatsuno that ANBU needed the Land of Earth Spy System operating to support its missions and the Underground Exchange bounties.
• Nara Shikatsuno agreed that Root’s spy systems should be transferred to ANBU and took Yellow Dog to see the Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the village elders decided to transfer Root’s Spy System to ANBU and negotiate Danzo’s withdrawal from its leadership. Danzo secured Lynx’s appointment as ANBU Deputy Director, leaving Yagami to conclude that he would have to seize the position he wanted himself.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen consulted Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, and they agreed to move the Spy System from Root to ANBU and recommend Yellow Dog as ANBU Director.
• Danzo argued with the village leaders over the changes, while Yellow Dog promised Yagami that he would recommend him as ANBU Deputy Director.
• Nara Shikatsuno told Nara Meika that Danzo’s compromise had secured Lynx the Deputy Director position instead of Yagami.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Yellow Dog to test Yagami’s loyalty by watching how he reacted to being passed over.
• Yellow Dog explained Danzo’s terms to Yagami and promised to recommend him after Lynx, but Yagami decided he would have to claim what he wanted himself.

After Lynx became Anbu Deputy Director instead of Fox, Yagami concealed his anger and sought a way to grow stronger. He offered Orochimaru himself as a test subject for Wood Release research in exchange for a Hashirama Cells transplant.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen appointed Yellow Dog as Anbu Director and Lynx as Deputy Director, while Yagami's Sharingan evolved into a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Yellow Dog explained that Danzo's losses had led the higher-ups to choose Lynx, and Yagami assured him he would not hold a grudge.
• Lynx ordered Fox to obey his missions, and Yagami addressed him as Deputy Director Lynx while secretly resenting him.
• Yagami visited Orochimaru's laboratory and showed him intelligence about the Scroll of Seals, arguing that Orochimaru could not steal it.
• Yagami offered himself as a Wood Release test subject and asked Orochimaru to transplant Hashirama Cells to increase his strength.

Yagami agreed to let Orochimaru transplant Hashirama Cells, then died when Tsunade punched him and used his resurrection reward to obtain a pure Wood Style Senju Bloodline. After returning to life with greatly increased physical strength and chakra, he left Konoha to test his new abilities with Uzumaki Yuka.

• Yagami agreed to Orochimaru's plan to transplant Hashirama Cells the next day and decided to seek Tsunade to strengthen his Senju Bloodline first.
• Yagami infiltrated Konoha Hospital and approached Tsunade, but she punched him after he touched her heart, crushing his chest and killing him.
• Yagami resurrected half an hour earlier and selected the pure Wood Style Senju Bloodline from the system's lottery.
• Yagami's physical constitution, chakra quantity, self-healing, and Earth and Water Style techniques improved substantially.
• Yagami used Reverse Summoning to reach the Uzumaki Hideout, where he tested his strength with Uzumaki Yuka.

Yagami arranged a five-day preparation period for the mission to the Land of Rain and underwent the first stage of Orochimaru’s Hashirama Cell transplantation experiment. The initial results showed almost no Woodification, and Orochimaru began recording Yagami’s unusually positive response.

• Yagami asked Uzumaki Yuka to find Lynx in the Land of Grass so he could kill him, and Yuka agreed.
• At ANBU, Lynx planned to depart for the Land of Grass in three days, but Yellow Dog gave Yagami five days to prepare for the mission to the Land of Rain.
• Yagami met Uchiha Zhong, learned that Zhong would lead an elite Uchiha team, and arranged for the group to gather at the village gate in five days.
• Yagami entered Root’s laboratory, where Orochimaru explained the three-stage Hashirama Cell transplantation procedure and prepared to begin.
• Orochimaru’s Shadow Clones injected diluted Hashirama Cell culture fluid into Yagami’s veins, and the brief Woodification in his hair quickly disappeared.

Yagami survived Orochimaru’s Hashirama Cell transplant and gained the ability to produce Wood Release, then took his new techniques and tissue samples before leaving the Root base. Two days later, he joined the mission to the Land of Rain, where he planned to use Wood Release against Uchiha Madara.

• Yagami endured three rounds of Hashirama Cell implantation, and Orochimaru discovered that Yagami’s vitality helped him synthesize Wood Release Chakra.
• Yagami demonstrated Wood Release, collected the syringes that might contain his tissue, and received a scroll containing three Wood Style Ninjutsu from Orochimaru.
• Yagami checked his status and found that his Chakra Quantity had risen to 1.8 times Kage-level; he also named his innate wooden-vine technique Wood Release: Iron Vine.
• Two days later, Lynx assigned Fox Squad to join the Uchiha Clan in the Land of Rain and eliminate Uchiha Madara.
• Yagami eagerly accepted the mission, privately intending to use Wood Release on Uchiha Madara and kill him.

Yagami accepted that he had lost the chance to become ANBU Deputy Director and prepared for the mission to investigate Uchiha Madara in the Land of Rain. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Yellow Dog discussed testing Fox and exploiting the Uchiha mission to weaken the clan, as Danzo met Uchiha Suigiku outside Konoha.

• Lynx left for the Land of Grass with Wildcat, while Yagami planned to travel there after entering the Land of Rain.
• White Ram and Flower Deer pledged their loyalty to Yagami, who warned them that their mission was to investigate Uchiha Madara, not fight recklessly.
• Orochimaru requested the Second Hokage’s research notes from Sarutobi Hiruzen and left the Hokage’s Office.
• Yellow Dog abandoned his plan to compensate Fox after Sarutobi Hiruzen told him to test Fox’s obedience and keep subordinates working until they accepted their positions.
• Danzo obtained the roster for the Uchiha mission to the Land of Rain, and Sarutobi Hiruzen urged Yellow Dog to learn Danzo’s methods for weakening the Uchiha.
• Uchiha Suigiku waited in a forest outside Konoha and greeted Danzo when he arrived.