Recaps

On his twelfth birthday, Masaichi awakened memories of his past life and realized his loyalty to Orochimaru could ruin his future when his teacher eventually defected from Konoha. After Masaichi discussed nutrition with Orochimaru, the Sannin gave him a mysterious mission involving Anko and the future Fifth Hokage.

• Orochimaru brought Masaichi a birthday cake while Anko admitted she had helped pay for it.
• Masaichi recalled Orochimaru’s future disgrace and worried that his own past service in human experiments would leave him punished after the defection.
• Masaichi let Anko eat cake, then took the plate away and defended the choice by explaining sugar’s effects on health.
• Orochimaru questioned Masaichi about nutrition, and Masaichi recommended eggs.
• Orochimaru excitedly assigned Masaichi a difficult mission, telling him that Anko was young and that he had to work hard regarding the Fifth Hokage.

Masaichi encountered Obito at a class gathering and learned that his childhood love letters to Rin had made Obito hate him. He then helped Orochimaru prepare carefully matched captives for human experiments, leaving Masaichi guarding the laboratory door and apologizing to them.

• Obito confronted Masaichi at a dango shop and demanded a fight because Masaichi had once confessed to Rin and written her hundreds of love letters.
• Asuma, Guy, and Gekko Hayate restrained Obito and dragged him away as he vowed to kill Masaichi someday.
• Masaichi worried that Obito might carry out his threat during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, then heard classmates discuss the disappearances across the Land of Fire.
• Masaichi visited Orochimaru's laboratory, where Orochimaru praised him for capturing men and women of matching heights and weights as experimental control groups.
• Orochimaru began experiments on the captives while Masaichi stood guard outside, whispering apologies.

Masaichi discovered that Orochimaru was feeding villagers eggs and desserts to study their effects, not abusing them as he had feared. As Konoha’s leaders demanded Orochimaru return to the war, Orochimaru’s food research yielded a discovery about muscle and fat, and Masaichi unknowingly helped him make it.

• Masaichi stormed into Orochimaru’s laboratory to stop what he thought was a human experiment, then realized Orochimaru was feeding the captives and studying their responses.
• At a Jonin meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned why Orochimaru had skipped the meeting and was tending livestock instead of fighting in the war.
• Masaichi told Orochimaru that Hiruzen had ordered him to face the A-B Brothers on the Hidden Cloud Village front within two days, but Orochimaru did not commit to going.
• Orochimaru compared the health of people eating eggs with those eating desserts and found that the egg group lost fat while improving their fitness and stamina.
• Masaichi complained that Minato and Jiraiya were already considering the Hokage succession, prompting Orochimaru to conclude that eggs helped build lean flesh while desserts added fatty flesh.

Masaichi learned that Orochimaru had developed whey protein and proposed going to the Land of Lightning for more milk. On the battlefield, he charged A twice after A insulted Orochimaru, and A defeated him but spared his life.

• Orochimaru gave Masaichi whey protein that he had extracted from milk, and Masaichi asked for more.
• Orochimaru said the ranch's cows could not produce enough milk, so Masaichi suggested traveling to the Land of Lightning.
• Hiruzen ordered Masaichi to hold back A and Killer B as they taunted Konoha's forces and criticized Orochimaru.
• Masaichi shouted at A for insulting his teacher and charged him with a Lightning Lariat, but A struck him down with the same move.
• Masaichi got back up and charged A again, and A defeated him once more before leaving him alive.

Masaichi endured A’s beatings to protect Orochimaru’s secret cattle theft, earning admiration from both Konoha and the Cloud Shinobi. After Hiruzen praised Masaichi publicly, Jiraiya asked about becoming Fourth Hokage, while Minato wondered what they meant.

• Masaichi repeatedly fought A and demanded that he apologize to Orochimaru, impressing Killer B and the watching shinobi with his determination.
• A finally knocked Masaichi down, learned his name, and accepted him as a future opponent before leaving with B.
• Orochimaru returned with stolen cattle and trusted Masaichi even more, unaware that Masaichi’s struggle had become a public story.
• Hiruzen featured Masaichi in the newspaper as an example for Konoha’s children and praised him to Minato.
• Jiraiya asked Hiruzen about the Fourth Hokage position, and Hiruzen teased that Orochimaru might be suitable while Minato looked confused.

Orochimaru handed command of the Hidden Cloud Village front to the injured Masaichi, who reorganized Konoha’s forces and launched a concentrated offensive. A’s surprise attack struck an abandoned camp, leaving him wary of Konoha’s unexplained deployment.

• Orochimaru ordered Masaichi to manage the Hidden Cloud Village front while he took Anko Mitarashi to his laboratory.
• Masaichi proposed the “One Point, Two Sides” tactic and assigned the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans to scout the Hidden Cloud forces.
• A led the Cloud Shinobi in a dawn surprise attack, and Killer B fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Konoha’s camp.
• A found the camp empty and learned that Konoha’s forces had split into scattered garrisons of around four hundred shinobi each.
• Unnerved by Konoha’s maneuver, A held back from a full attack and ordered a small probe.

Masaichi led Konoha’s shinobi through the Land of Lightning, winning local support by redistributing nobles’ property and enforcing strict discipline. After executing Sarutobi Soku for killing a resident, he left Konoha’s reputation among the townspeople stronger than ever as his campaign continued.

• Masaichi’s force entered Wick while the Third Raikage and A were away fighting Hidden Rock, forcing Dodai to rally Hidden Cloud’s defenders to reclaim the town.
• Masaichi distributed local nobles’ property among the poor, then moved on to another target as villagers helped Konoha’s shinobi evade A and Killer B.
• Masaichi ordered Sarutobi Soku executed for killing a Land of Lightning resident, refusing to spare him despite his Hokage connections and pleas from shinobi clans.
• Konoha’s standing among the Land of Lightning residents rose after Masaichi’s redistribution and public enforcement of military discipline.
• Masaichi led the shinobi to sleep by the roadside after capturing another town, and residents who saw them at dawn became even more favorable toward Konoha.

Orochimaru reflected on Jiraiya’s neutrality and trusted Masaichi after secretly monitoring his work, while the Third Raikage died in Ōnoki’s ambush and A became the Fourth Raikage. Masaichi’s campaign brought Konoha’s northeast temporary peace, and the chapter left the war continuing as Kakashi and Obito argued at the front against the Hidden Rock Village.

• Orochimaru recalled how Jiraiya had refused to choose between him and Minato, then decided Masaichi’s work proved his own judgment superior and recalled the snakes he had planted on Konoha shinobi.
• The Third Raikage tried to imitate Masaichi’s tactics in the Land of Earth, walked into Ōnoki’s ambush, and died sacrificing himself to cover the Cloud Shinobi’s retreat.
• A mourned his father, drove Masaichi and the Konoha shinobi out of the Land of Lightning, and returned to the Hidden Cloud Village to become the Fourth Raikage.
• Masaichi returned to camp, where Konoha shinobi feared Orochimaru’s silence over Sarutobi Soku’s death meant he approved of Masaichi’s actions.
• Jiraiya and Minato’s forces continued facing the Four-Tails and Han, while Obito envied Masaichi’s exploits and argued with Kakashi.

Masaichi received Orochimaru’s newly developed creatine and other fitness supplements, then shared most of his supplies with Konoha’s civilian ninja. As Konoha’s workout routine drew attention from Cloud Ninja scouts, Darui and Samui watched the camp and wondered about a black cow nearby.

• Masaichi trained with Might Dai when Orochimaru arrived with food, protein powder, and new supplements.
• Anko Mitarashi introduced Orochimaru’s creatine, which he said could replenish the body’s energy stores and improve strength and reaction speed.
• Orochimaru had Masaichi sunbathe while he studied the substance Masaichi identified as Vitamin D3.
• Orochimaru praised Masaichi, and the Konoha ninja realized he approved of Masaichi’s actions against Sarutobi Soku.
• Masaichi kept a month’s worth of supplies and divided the remaining supplements among the civilian ninja, except for the zinc tablets.
• Darui and Samui watched Konoha’s ninja train from a tree and noticed a black cow that Samui thought resembled a Land of Lightning breed.

Masaichi taught Might Dai about muscle training and learned how hardship had left Dai and Guy short of food. After returning to Konoha, Masaichi attended a meeting where Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru and him to office work while Minato’s Team was sent to support the battlefronts, leaving Masaichi convinced that Hiruzen was favoring Orochimaru for Hokage.

• Masaichi advised Might Dai to balance heavy-weight training with rest and nutrition, and Dai began punching trees as a workout.
• Might Dai told Masaichi that his low salary had forced him and Guy to go hungry, and he questioned why his protein powder kept losing a scoop.
• Masaichi returned to Konoha with Orochimaru and was summoned to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office, where he greeted Minato, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin.
• Hiruzen assigned Minato’s Team to travel between battlefields as a mobile support unit and ordered Orochimaru and Masaichi to help him handle documents in Konoha.
• Obito warned Rin to stay away from Masaichi, while Jiraiya questioned Hiruzen’s assurances about Minato becoming Hokage and encouraged Minato without explaining his concerns.

Masaichi warned Orochimaru that Hiruzen favored Minato Namikaze for Hokage, but Orochimaru trusted his long-standing bond with his teacher. Later, Masaichi met Rin, Kakashi, and Obito, where his height and strength stood out and Obito boasted about Minato promising to teach him the Rasengan.

• Masaichi showed Orochimaru the results of his food experiments and warned that Hiruzen was favoring Minato Namikaze.
• Orochimaru rejected Masaichi’s concern, recalling Hiruzen’s praise and their close relationship since his childhood.
• Rin invited Masaichi to meet with Kakashi and Obito, and Masaichi proved taller than both of them.
• Obito challenged Masaichi to arm wrestling, but Masaichi’s strength overwhelmed him, so Obito changed the subject.
• Obito said Minato would teach him the Rasengan after the war, while Masaichi explained that Orochimaru mostly kept him well fed.

Masaichi teased Obito and Kakashi after revealing his trained physique, then warned Orochimaru that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the advisers were favoring him in a way that could lead to resentment. Orochimaru rejected Masaichi’s warning and sent him away, leaving their disagreement unresolved.

• Obito lifted Masaichi’s shirt, saw his defined physique, and fell silent as Kakashi and Obito compared themselves unfavorably with him.
• At dinner, Masaichi gave Obito food and recalled that Obito had sheltered him when he was a hungry orphan, while Rin remained distracted by Masaichi’s appearance.
• Over the next half month, Hiruzen Sarutobi had Orochimaru help process documents, and Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado publicly hinted that they supported him as Fourth Hokage.
• Orochimaru summoned Masaichi to show off his new office and reassure him about his rise in the village.
• Masaichi told Orochimaru a story about a daimyo who favored his youngest son while expecting his eldest to accept it, and said the story reflected Orochimaru’s relationship with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Orochimaru accused Masaichi of trying to drive a wedge between him and Hiruzen Sarutobi, ordered him home, and dismissed him after Masaichi warned that he would regret it.

Orochimaru rewarded Masaichi for his service by building him a gym, which became popular with villagers and shinobi alike. As Minato’s battlefield feats brought him fame as the Yellow Flash, Masaichi realized the events that would lead Orochimaru to fall behind were beginning.

• Orochimaru challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi over Masaichi’s lack of recognition, and Hiruzen explained that keeping the young shinobi’s achievements quiet would protect him from assassination.
• Orochimaru built Masaichi a gym with specialized equipment, a gravity room, and a water heater, while Masaichi sold memberships to Konoha’s residents.
• Obito visited the gym to buy a membership, but Masaichi gave him a weekly pass out of guilt, and Obito later bought an annual pass after he found he could not leave.
• Minato killed fifty Hidden Rock shinobi, including Dōjin, with the Flying Thunder God Technique, prompting Ōnoki to order his forces to flee if they encountered the Yellow Flash.
• Masaichi, Obito, and Kakashi heard Konoha’s excitement over Minato’s exploits from inside the crowded gym, and Masaichi recognized that Orochimaru’s decline was beginning.

Masaichi tried to warn Orochimaru that Hiruzen Sarutobi was backing Minato for Hokage, then pressed Hiruzen to reveal whom he favored. Hiruzen dodged every choice, and Masaichi left him facing an even trickier question from Biwako.

• Masaichi kept warning Orochimaru that Minato was gaining support, but Orochimaru had him dragged out of the office.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Masaichi and explained that he wanted Minato to become Hokage while Orochimaru served as his assistant.
• Masaichi asked Hiruzen whether he would save Orochimaru or Minato if both fell into the water, but Hiruzen evaded the choice.
• Biwako brought Hiruzen lunch, and Masaichi asked whom he would save if Biwako and Danzo's assistant fell into a river.
• Masaichi ran off, leaving Biwako to ask Hiruzen whether he would save her or Danzo.

Masaichi sought Danzo’s protection from Hiruzen Sarutobi and found Danzo’s forces reeling from the Sand Village’s advance to Kikyo Mountain. After Danzo dismissed his offer to help, Masaichi mocked him, but Danzo overheard only a remark about the enemy advancing.

• The Sand Village pushed Danzo’s forces back to Kikyo Mountain, deep in the Land of Fire, while Rasa celebrated the unprecedented advance.
• Worried Hiruzen Sarutobi would punish him, Masaichi traveled to Danzo’s camp after getting Orochimaru’s consent.
• Masaichi explained his falling-out with Hiruzen and offered Danzo protein powder, while Danzo criticized Orochimaru for trusting Hiruzen’s promise of the Hokage position.
• Danzo rejected Masaichi’s offer to help Root and had him escorted out of camp.
• Masaichi mocked Danzo for dismissing a Chunin, and Danzo came out to supervise the front line and asked what he had said.

Masaichi’s warnings went unheeded as Danzo’s command decisions led to heavy losses and repeated battles for Kikyo Mountain. After Minato’s reinforcements forced Sand Village to retreat, Danzo lost his military command, and Masaichi comforted him as he left.

• Masaichi advised Danzo to fortify the area near Kikyo Mountain and later to burn Sand Village’s granaries, but Danzo rejected the first plan and the second ended with Konoha squads captured or killed.
• From May through July, Sand Village and Konoha repeatedly captured Kikyo Mountain, while Danzo’s micromanagement and stubborn command contributed to mounting casualties.
• Rasa committed Sand Village’s elite forces to the battle, while Danzo deployed Nonō Yakushi, whose intelligence helped Konoha regain lost ground.
• Konoha’s forces were surrounded on Kikyo Mountain for seven days without water until Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Minato with reinforcements, forcing Rasa and the Sand ninjas to retreat and sign an alliance treaty.
• In early August, Hiruzen Sarutobi stripped Danzo of military command but left him in charge of Root, and Danzo admitted to Masaichi that he should have listened to his advice.
• Masaichi comforted Danzo by telling him not to dwell on temporary failure and encouraging his dream of becoming Hokage before Danzo left.

Minato took command at Kikyo Mountain and led Konoha to victory, securing the Sand Village’s unconditional surrender and an alliance. Masaichi resented Minato’s growing prominence, tried to expand his gym business, and left with two new Genin under his command.

• Minato took over command at Kikyo Mountain, met the troops, and assigned their duties.
• Masaichi acted coldly toward Minato, though he eagerly asked what Rin had said about him.
• Masaichi and Minato drove the Sand Village forces out of the Land of Fire, and Rasa signed an unconditional surrender and alliance agreement with Konoha.
• Masaichi invited Rasa to learn fitness training, but Rasa and Yashamaru passed him down to subordinates, leaving him feeling slighted.
• Masaichi left with his new Genin, Kiba and Sakata Yujin, and refused Kiba’s request for a gym membership card because it was not his birthday.

After returning to Konoha, Masaichi urged Orochimaru to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi over Minato’s growing responsibilities and Orochimaru’s own treatment. Hiruzen reassured Orochimaru that he valued him more than Minato, and Orochimaru left in a good mood, still treasuring their bond.

• Masaichi returned to Konoha and sent Kiba and Yujin to train at the gym.
• Masaichi challenged Orochimaru to question Hiruzen Sarutobi about Jiraiya supporting Minato, Minato receiving military command, and Minato representing Konoha at the Sand Village’s surrender ceremony.
• Orochimaru confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi and accused him of favoring Minato and preparing to bring him into the Hokage Office Building.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that he had given Minato military command to support Orochimaru’s future as Hokage and kept Masaichi’s actions quiet to protect him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Orochimaru that he mattered more to him than Minato, then asked when he would marry.
• Orochimaru left in a good mood, reassured of his bond with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After the Sand Village surrendered, the first half of the Third Shinobi World War ended, and Masaichi's attempt to protect his students from bullies sparked a major brawl in Konoha. He helped reduce bullying, earned only the title of Special Jonin, and joined a meeting where Konoha's leaders confronted the village's depleted finances.

• Masaichi gave Kiba a chakra-powered skateboard for his birthday, and Kiba and Sakata Yujin soon had their skateboards stolen by older Genin.
• Masaichi beat the thieves and their teacher, then gathered his connections as the dispute expanded into a large brawl in Konoha Square involving Kakashi, Obito, Guy, and Shisui Uchiha.
• Orochimaru and the Uchiha Police Force intervened, and the opposing group was locked up for fifteen days and ordered to compensate Masaichi's side.
• Bullying incidents decreased in Konoha, and Masaichi took the Jonin exam, but Hiruzen Sarutobi classified him as a Special Jonin.
• Masaichi attended a Jonin meeting where Orochimaru reported that Konoha had little money left after the war, leaving Konoha's F4 to consider how to raise funds.

Masaichi proposed a pension system funded by a 15% contribution from ninja earnings, and Konoha’s leaders expanded the idea to the whole village. He then urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to have ANBU audit private businesses and impose higher taxes on those with greater income.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other officials discussed Konoha’s wartime financial crisis, while Danzo criticized Hiruzen Sarutobi for failing to demand reparations from Sand Village.
• Orochimaru encouraged Masaichi to share his idea, and Masaichi proposed collecting 15% of each ninja’s income to fund retirement benefits.
• The Jonin initially objected to the contribution but warmed to the prospect of receiving pensions when they grew old.
• Koharu Utatane suggested extending the pension policy to everyone in the village, prompting the ninja clans to consider how the new contributions would affect them.
• Masaichi recommended that Hiruzen Sarutobi send ANBU to audit private shops and set taxes according to their income.

Masaichi proposed taxing wealthy ninja clans at sixty percent, and Danzo backed him, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to postpone a decision. Danzo, Masaichi, and Orochimaru then plotted to push the policy through without Hiruzen, but argued over how to divide the money.

• Masaichi proposed a sixty-percent tax on wealthy business owners, and a Jonin nearly accused him of treason before Choza Akimichi knocked him down.
• Danzo supported Masaichi’s proposal, while Hiruzen Sarutobi adjourned the Jonin meeting rather than approve it.
• Danzo and Hiruzen argued in the Hokage’s office over taxing ninja clans and ordinary people equally.
• Danzo, Masaichi, and Orochimaru secretly discussed implementing the tax and dividing the proceeds among Root, Orochimaru’s research, and the village.
• Danzo and Orochimaru refused to give Masaichi a share, and the three argued over money before the policy had even been implemented.

Masaichi’s factories prospered before Root audited his business and the Sarutobi Clan’s accounts, while White Zetsu provoked the great villages into turning the Third Shinobi World War against Konoha. As Konoha faced mounting attacks, Orochimaru was denied permission to fight and questioned whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had betrayed him, leaving his loyalty uncertain.

• Masaichi built a successful skateboard and toy business, but Nara Jingren classified it as high-income and withheld sixty percent of its income as tax.
• Nara Jingren audited the Sarutobi Clan’s accounts and classified them as high-income as well.
• White Zetsu impersonated ninjas from the great villages, staged attacks, and reignited unrest to make Konoha appear responsible for stirring up trouble.
• At the start of Konoha’s forty-seventh year, Hidden Rock Village, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Mist Village attacked Konoha as other villages threatened to take advantage.
• Orochimaru asked Hiruzen Sarutobi for permission to join the fighting, but Hiruzen refused.
• Orochimaru recalled Hiruzen’s past kindness and formed the theory that Hiruzen could be both loyal and treacherous until he found irrefutable evidence.

Orochimaru questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi about his favoritism toward Minato, then unexpectedly joined Minato’s Team on its Kannabi Bridge mission. The team traveled together, and Masaichi’s surprise at Obito’s newly awakened Sharingan ended the chapter.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi worried when Orochimaru stayed silent and shut himself away in his laboratory.
• Orochimaru asked Hiruzen Sarutobi whether he or Minato mattered more, then challenged his teacher’s unequal treatment of Masaichi and Minato’s students.
• Orochimaru joined Minato’s Team for the mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge, surprising Masaichi and the others.
• During a campfire rest, Orochimaru awkwardly praised Minato while Masaichi watched for signs of conflict.
• Masaichi spotted Obito’s awakened Sharingan and shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

Obito awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan after reading Masaichi’s tragic romance stories, which Orochimaru had encouraged Masaichi to write to strengthen the Uchiha. At the Hidden Rock Village front, Orochimaru secretly gave Masaichi poisoned protein powder for Minato, and Masaichi proposed using Obito to deliver it.

• Obito explained that the stories about betrayal and doomed love had awakened his Sharingan, while Minato sympathized with him and Kakashi dismissed the emotions involved.
• Masaichi revealed that he had written the stories to provoke Uchiha and awaken their Sharingan before they faced the Hidden Mist ninja, hoping to help Rin survive.
• Orochimaru arrived with Minato at the Hidden Rock Village front, where Jiraiya warned Minato to inspect anything he ate or used.
• Orochimaru admitted that the protein powder he gave Masaichi contained poison, and Masaichi excitedly proposed having Obito give it to Minato.

Minato’s Team set out on a mission after Orochimaru and Masaichi secretly poisoned Minato through protein powder and bananas. Minato collapsed before he could draw the Hidden Rock forces, and Orochimaru and Masaichi brought him to a Hidden Rock camp, leaving White Zetsu and Uchiha Madara bewildered.

• Minato told Obito to return Masaichi’s protein powder, while Obito kept it and shared bananas with the team before their mission.
• Orochimaru and Masaichi revealed that they had poisoned Minato’s food, and Orochimaru said Tsunade’s poison should work.
• Minato killed Mahiru to save Kakashi, then split the team so he could draw the Hidden Rock forces while Kakashi led Obito and Rin to destroy their supply bridge.
• Minato became lightheaded and collapsed after losing his ability to sense chakra, and Masaichi carried him away with Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru offered the disguised White Zetsu at the Hidden Rock camp twenty-five million ryo to make a deal, while White Zetsu and Uchiha Madara struggled to understand the change in plans.