Recaps

Madara watched Konoha’s internal conflict and expected his plan to manipulate Obito to proceed, but Orochimaru’s use of a powerful sedative disrupted the operation. Masaichi rescued Rin, Kakashi, and Obito, leaving Madara to reconsider how to make Obito suffer a heartrending farewell.

• Madara ordered the White Zetsu Hidden Rock Jonin to cooperate with Orochimaru while he observed Konoha’s infighting.
• Tsunade’s sedative left Obito, Kakashi, and Minato unconscious, while Rin was taken to Madara’s cave as planned.
• Orochimaru instructed the White Zetsu Hidden Rock Jonin to seize him and Minato, then ordered Masaichi to seek reinforcements.
• Masaichi found and freed Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, dispelling Rin’s genjutsu and realizing Madara had disrupted their situation.
• Madara rejected a White Zetsu’s suggestion to attack the group and devised another way to make Obito experience a painful farewell.

Masaichi reported that Orochimaru and Minato had been captured by the Hidden Rock Village, but Jiraiya initially dismissed the claim. After Hiruzen Sarutobi received proof of their capture, Konoha mobilized for a rescue, leaving the village at risk of destruction as Madara prepared to use the conflict to reach Obito.

• Jiraiya accused Masaichi of lying about Orochimaru and Minato being captured, then misunderstood Rin's explanation and assumed the mission had succeeded.
• Masaichi and Minato's Team headed back to Konoha to seek help, and Hiruzen Sarutobi met them with ANBU and the remaining village ninja after receiving a photograph of the captured Orochimaru and Minato.
• Hiruzen explained that Ōnoki was also heading toward the battlefield, while Jiraiya had been sent to intercept him; Danzo and Masaichi realized Konoha might face a full assault if the capture became known.
• Jiraiya began fighting Ōnoki, Han, Rōshi, and Kitsuchi in the Land of Grass as Hiruzen's forces moved to rescue Orochimaru and Minato.
• Madara dispatched the White Zetsu across the Ninja World and ordered them to drive Obito above his underground position during the battle.

The White Zetsu Rock ninja forced Hiruzen Sarutobi to choose whether Orochimaru or Minato would die, while Hiruzen searched for a way to save them both. The chapter ended with Hiruzen offering his own life, but the Rock ninja rejected him and demanded that he choose between the two captives.

• Orochimaru and Minato hung over a cliff, unable to escape the chakra-sealing technique, as the White Zetsu Rock ninja waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Konoha group arrived and found the Rock ninja willing to release only one captive, with the other to be thrown to their death.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to buy time and considered using Shibi Aburame's insects to catch whoever fell, but the White Zetsu Rock ninja threatened Orochimaru and Minato directly.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered to die in exchange for saving both Orochimaru and Minato, but the White Zetsu Rock ninja refused and demanded that he choose one.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to save Minato, but Obito and Kakashi rescued both hostages before Orochimaru could be killed. Orochimaru feigned death and watched Konoha mourn him, while Masaichi and Anko cried over his body.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose Minato, and Madara ordered the Iwa ninjas to kill both hostages.
• Obito and Kakashi attacked the captors, freed Minato and Orochimaru, and carried them back to Konoha's ranks.
• Rin treated Minato's temple wound as Hiruzen Sarutobi and others gathered around him, while Kakashi laid Orochimaru down.
• Masaichi knelt beside Orochimaru and wailed, and Anko also mourned her teacher.
• Orochimaru revealed he had survived by watching a small snake emerge from his temple and heal the wound.

After Orochimaru and Minato were rescued, Hiruzen and Ōnoki led Konoha and the Hidden Rock Village into an all-out battle. Madara repeatedly sent White Zetsu after Masaichi and Obito, then took control of one himself to confront Masaichi.

• Hiruzen reunited with the living Orochimaru, and Ōnoki arrived too late to stop the rescue before the two leaders faced off.
• Hiruzen summoned Enma and charged Ōnoki while Minato, Orochimaru, Masaichi, Danzo, and Konoha's clans joined the battle against the Hidden Rock Village.
• Konoha's fighters used their clan techniques against the larger Hidden Rock force, while Minato and Orochimaru each faced a Jinchūriki.
• Madara sent White Zetsu disguised as Rock ninja to lure Obito toward Rin, but Masaichi killed them before Obito could pursue.
• After repeated batches of White Zetsu were killed by Masaichi, Madara took control of one and went to confront him himself.

Madara possessed White Zetsu and fought Masaichi, Obito, and Kakashi while Ōnoki and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered attacks on each side’s next generation. Rin was taken during the battle, and Masaichi and Kakashi found Obito trapped beneath a boulder after he had saved her.

• Madara controlled White Zetsu and attacked Masaichi, who held him off until Obito joined the fight.
• Obito refused to abandon Rin, and Kakashi was moved by his insistence that comrades mattered more than missions.
• Kakashi restrained Madara while Masaichi struck him down, but Madara later returned in a Shadow Clone and beat Masaichi, Kakashi, and other Konoha ninjas.
• Rin was taken away, so the injured Obito chased after her while Masaichi and Kakashi followed.
• Obito shoved Rin out of the way of a cave-in and was pinned beneath a boulder, where he joked about Masaichi and Kakashi as Rin wept beside him.

Masaichi tried to save Obito from the boulder, but Obito gave him his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and entrusted Rin to him before dying. Later, as Konoha counted its war dead and prepared for peace talks, Masaichi challenged Orochimaru and Danzo’s plan to seize the Hokage position.

• Masaichi struggled to lift the boulder trapping Obito as Madara caused the cave to shake.
• Obito awakened a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, gave one eye to Masaichi, and asked him to protect Rin before dying beneath the falling rocks.
• Konoha recorded 378 ninja deaths, and Orochimaru visited Masaichi in the temporary hospital.
• Orochimaru and Danzo told Masaichi that Konoha and the Hidden Rock Village were preparing to negotiate peace, with Minato expected to lead the talks.
• Orochimaru and Danzo discussed taking the Hokage position and possibly assassinating Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Masaichi warned that their plan had a serious flaw.
• Masaichi explained that exposing the poison plot could implicate Tsunade as well as Orochimaru, leaving the Orochimaru faction vulnerable if they did not protect themselves.

Masaichi advised Orochimaru and Danzo to fight for support rather than keep yielding to Minato, while Orochimaru sought an international ally. At the Hidden Cloud front, Masaichi and Orochimaru’s subordinates arranged to betray Jiraiya and secured A’s cooperation against him in exchange for two Byakugan.

• Masaichi explained that Minato’s reputation, accomplishments, and connections gave him a strong claim to the Hokage position, while Orochimaru’s main advantage was his willingness to play dirty.
• Danzo proposed killing Minato or launching a coup, but Masaichi warned that both plans were impractical and urged them to fight for every shinobi and find an international ally.
• Orochimaru asked Masaichi to study Obito’s Sharingan, then summoned him to the Hidden Cloud front after he recovered from his injuries.
• Masaichi told Hayakawa Rin, Kurosaki Ren, and Tsukishima Yoru that Hiruzen planned to strip Orochimaru of his military authority, and they agreed to sell out Jiraiya.
• A met with Masaichi and agreed to target Jiraiya’s forces in exchange for Orochimaru meeting Hidden Cloud Village’s demands, including providing two Byakugan.

Obito awoke in Madara’s hideout, where the two were poisoned by protein powder, while news spread of Might Dai and Guy defeating most of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Minato and Fugaku discussed Masaichi’s growing influence and the new taxes burdening the Uchiha, leaving Konoha’s political tensions unresolved.

• Obito woke beside Uchiha Madara, mistook him for the Grim Reaper, and offered him protein powder as thanks for saving him.
• Obito panicked about Rin and his Sharingan, but Madara refused to let him return before recovering; Madara and Obito then collapsed after drinking the poisoned powder.
• Might Dai and Might Guy used the Eight Gates to defeat all but three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Dai credited Masaichi with helping him train.
• Minato told Fugaku that the Hidden Cloud front had suffered heavy losses and that Ōnoki was exploiting the turmoil rather than pursuing a ceasefire.
• Fugaku complained that the Uchiha faced rich-person and inheritance taxes, while Minato explained that Masaichi had framed paying taxes as proof of love for the village.

Hiruzen struggled to contain Orochimaru’s growing power in Konoha while Minato’s team met Naruto and Yamato from the future in the Country of Roran. Their revelations left Minato and Kakashi confronting a future of Orochimaru’s defection, Konoha’s destruction, and Minato’s death.

• Hiruzen confronted Orochimaru over his influence and resources, but Orochimaru defended his actions by citing Konoha’s finances and the needs of its villagers and frontline ninjas.
• Minato led Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, and Kakashi on a mission to guard the queen of the Country of Roran, where they met Naruto and Yamato from the future.
• Minato asked Naruto and Yamato how Orochimaru would fare as Hokage, and they instead described Orochimaru’s alliance with Sunagakure to destroy Konoha and the Third Generation’s death defending it.
• Yamato revealed that Minato would die during the Nine-Tails Rebellion in October of the forty-eighth year of Konoha, only a year away.
• Naruto and Yamato disclosed that Orochimaru would defect after the Third Generation discovered his human experiments and would later target Sasuke’s body.

Masaichi recruited rogue ninjas for Orochimaru’s growing faction, alarming Nara Shikaku about Orochimaru’s expanding power. Shikaku persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to make Jiraiya Hokage temporarily so Minato could later succeed him, and Hiruzen began recalling the Jonin stationed outside.

• Masaichi recruited rogue ninjas on the Hidden Cloud Village front by offering them Konoha residency, helping Orochimaru’s faction grow from 1,200 people to 1,300.
• Nara Shikaku warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that Orochimaru’s influence was growing and could undermine Minato’s path to becoming Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated to hold the Hokage election because he feared Minato might lose to Orochimaru’s greater seniority.
• Nara Shikaku proposed that Jiraiya become Hokage temporarily while Hiruzen trained Minato to take over after two or three years.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the plan and urgently recalled the Jonin stationed outside Konoha.

Minato resolved to become Hokage after suspecting Orochimaru had caused the Nine-Tails Rebellion, but the election unexpectedly pitted Orochimaru against Jiraiya. Jiraiya gained overwhelming support and modestly resisted the nomination, while Hiruzen prepared to persuade him to accept.

• Hiruzen asked Minato whether he was determined to become Hokage, and Minato affirmed his resolve as he thought of Kushina and Naruto.
• Masaichi returned to Konoha with reinforcements and learned that Jiraiya, not Minato, had become Orochimaru's rival in the election.
• Danzo, Orochimaru, and Masaichi discussed their weak position, while Orochimaru and Masaichi privately considered leaving Konoha to found a ninja village if they lost.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura, and Koharu nominated Jiraiya, while Danzo alone nominated Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya's supporters praised him as the crowd rallied behind him, and he modestly claimed he was unfit to be Hokage.
• Hiruzen decided to indulge Jiraiya's reluctance and have Koharu and the others plead with him to accept the position.

Masaichi used Jiraiya’s own doubts to derail his Hokage candidacy, then a woman arrived claiming Jiraiya had fathered her white-haired infant. As Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Jiraiya, Masaichi asked Orochimaru to test the child’s parentage, and Nara Shikaku urged them to acknowledge the child for now.

• Masaichi and Danzo’s supporters argued that Jiraiya’s reluctance meant the village should nominate someone else, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to adjourn the meeting.
• A woman named Delia arrived with a white-haired infant and claimed Jiraiya was the child’s father, and the scandal spread across Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi angrily confronted Jiraiya and ordered the ANBU to bring Delia before him.
• Masaichi asked Orochimaru to check whether the infant was Jiraiya’s, leaving Orochimaru puzzled by the request.
• Jiraiya denied knowing whether the child was his, and Nara Shikaku said they should acknowledge the child.

Jiraiya was cleared by Orochimaru’s DNA test, but villagers came to believe he had framed Delia to protect his Hokage bid, ruining his candidacy. The scandal turned Jiraiya and Orochimaru into public enemies and deepened Konoha’s political divide, while Masaichi’s words and popular factory shifted some villagers’ views of the so-called villains.

• Nara Shikaku advised Jiraiya to marry Delia to avoid being accused of abandoning her and their child, but Orochimaru’s DNA test showed the child was almost certainly not Jiraiya’s.
• Delia admitted she had tried to extort money from Jiraiya, and Jiraiya publicly clarified the matter with Hiruzen Sarutobi’s help.
• Villagers suspected Jiraiya had pressured Delia into confessing to protect his Hokage campaign, and he lost his chance to run.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru traded accusations, and Konoha branded Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze hypocrites while calling Orochimaru and Masaichi true villains.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru’s factions split Konoha’s politics as Masaichi’s Shadow Clone spread the saying that a hypocrite was worse than a true villain.
• Masaichi’s thriving toy factory hired villagers and shared its after-tax profits with employees, helping improve the common folk’s view of the villains.

Orochimaru sent Minato to the Hidden Mist front, where Hiruzen gave him an enormous force and guarded against Orochimaru's schemes. Madara struggled to reach Rin amid Minato's precautions, until Nara Shikaku realized Minato's supporters had been maneuvered into danger and warned him to return to the village.

• Orochimaru proposed sending Minato to fight the Hidden Mist Village, and Hiruzen sent him with Jiraiya and a powerful team of Konoha shinobi.
• Orochimaru and Masaichi welcomed the Land of Fire Daimyo to Konoha, while Hiruzen watched their reception warily.
• Madara found Minato had heavily guarded the medical ninja encampment, leaving him unable to capture Rin.
• Madara considered an all-out attack to draw guards away, but Minato's loyal supporters followed his orders and denied Madara an opening.
• Nara Shikaku realized Minato had gained many supporters and urgently told him to return to the village.

Orochimaru maneuvered Minato’s supporters out of Konoha and won the daimyo’s approval to become the Fourth Hokage. After taking office, he and Danzo pressured Hiruzen Sarutobi to leave Konoha and threatened his family when he refused.

• Orochimaru proposed deciding the Fourth Hokage’s succession while Minato and most of his supporters were away in the Hidden Mist Village.
• Danzo and Orochimaru’s supporters backed Orochimaru, and the daimyo named him the Fourth Hokage.
• Masaichi dressed Orochimaru in the prepared ceremonial robe, and the daimyo’s edict cemented his appointment.
• Orochimaru made Danzo the head of ANBU and brought him to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s residence to demand that Hiruzen retire at Biwa Lake.
• Hiruzen refused to leave Konoha, so Orochimaru threatened Asuma, while Danzo insulted Biwa Lake and Orochimaru vowed to settle accounts with everyone who opposed him.

Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage with Masaichi’s support, leaving Minato and Jiraiya bewildered and unsure what to do about Konoha’s future. Orochimaru appointed Masaichi a frontline commander at the Hidden Mist Village, where Masaichi’s unusual methods helped an Uchiha awaken his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

• Orochimaru took office as Fourth Hokage and delivered a speech about villagers’ nutrition while Masaichi watched from the Hokage Office Building.
• Minato and Jiraiya struggled to understand Orochimaru’s peaceful rise to power, and Minato lamented that he could neither serve Orochimaru nor abandon Konoha.
• Orochimaru made Masaichi frontline commander at the Hidden Mist Village, surrounded him with ANBU guards, and publicized fabricated stories of Masaichi’s past achievements.
• At the Hidden Mist Village, Masaichi mostly handled logistics and summoned handsome Uchiha to ask whether they wanted to awaken their eyes.
• Masaichi gave an Uchiha man an NTR novel, and the man awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan after reading it.

Masaichi assigned Shisui to protect the medical ninjas, but Madara and Black Zetsu arranged for White Zetsu to abduct Rin and prepare to seal the Three-Tails inside her. After Rin vanished, Masaichi ordered an assault on the Hidden Mist Village, and Minato agreed to help rescue her.

• Masaichi chose Shisui to guard the medical ninjas, and Shisui realized the mission was really to protect Rin.
• Madara followed Black Zetsu's suggestion and ordered White Zetsu to disguise itself as Masaichi and lure Rin away.
• White Zetsu knocked Rin unconscious and contacted its infiltrator in the Hidden Mist Village to carry out Madara's plan.
• An Uchiha noticed Rin was missing, and Masaichi concluded the Hidden Mist Village had taken her.
• Masaichi ordered his forces to charge into the Hidden Mist Village, and Minato agreed to retrieve Rin before discussing anything else.

Masaichi rescued Nohara Rin after the Hidden Mist sealed the Three-Tails inside her, and Konoha secured the tailed beast when Orochimaru reinforced the seal. Meanwhile, Obito hurried toward the battlefield as Black Zetsu moved Madara to safety, and Orochimaru tried to keep Rin and Masaichi apart.

• White Zetsu rallied the Hidden Mist forces while Konoha overwhelmed their base, and Masaichi rescued Rin from the sealing altar.
• Obito rushed to save Rin, unaware that Konoha had already destroyed the base, while Madara entered standby and Black Zetsu moved him and the Gedo Statue.
• Masaichi brought Rin back to Konoha, where Orochimaru reinforced the Three-Tails' seal with the Five Elements Seal.
• Orochimaru told Rin and Masaichi to keep their relationship private and planned to assign them to distant locations so they would see each other less.

As the Third Shinobi World War neared its end, the other villages’ Kage publicly praised Minato and questioned Orochimaru’s rise to Hokage. At the Hidden Mist front, Obito discovered that Masaichi was commanding the forces and confronted him about his missing Sharingan.

• The Hidden Cloud, Rock, and Mist villages shifted toward ending the war, while Yagura Karatachi took over as Mizukage and demanded the Three-Tails from Orochimaru.
• Ōnoki, Rasa, A, and Yagura praised Minato in newspaper interviews and expressed regret that he had not become Hokage.
• Orochimaru memorized the names of those who had criticized his election while serving as Hokage.
• At the Hidden Mist front, Obito arrived to report and was surprised to find Masaichi in command.
• Obito asked Masaichi why he had not replaced Obito’s missing eye with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan he had given him.

Minato weighed whether to hand military command to Orochimaru, while Shikaku warned that doing so would leave Minato and his allies vulnerable. Jiraiya arrived with evidence that Orochimaru had conducted human experiments on abducted citizens, leaving Minato facing a new reason to resist him.

• Masaichi, Obito, and Kakashi drank together, and Obito recounted meeting Madara before the others drunkenly agreed that Madara was alive.
• Minato gathered Shikaku and the others and said he planned to hand military command over to Orochimaru to prevent Konoha from splitting apart.
• Shikaku warned Minato that Orochimaru feared his influence and would exploit the transfer of command to eliminate their protection.
• Jiraiya arrived and told Minato that Orochimaru had abducted citizens of the Land of Fire for human experiments.

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, Orochimaru’s reforms improved life in Konoha while his uneasy standoff with Minato continued. Masaichi’s bicycle and plans for research prizes spread innovation, and Hiruzen Sarutobi remained uncertain whether choosing Minato had been right as Danzo returned to public life.

• Masaichi returned to Konoha with the ANBU as the war ended, while Minato stayed away to guard against the Hidden Mist Village and Orochimaru kept their forces in check.
• Orochimaru developed a bicycle in his laboratory, and Masaichi rode it through Konoha before establishing awards to support research, literature, and peace.
• Bicycles became popular across the Land of Fire, and Minato’s people returned to Konoha during Village Celebration Day to public acclaim.
• Orochimaru and Minato remained wary of each other, and Minato only ate the rice balls Kushina had brought to the banquet.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read reports of Orochimaru’s reforms while questioning his past decision to support Minato; Danzo returned from the shadows to serve Orochimaru.

Orochimaru investigated Obito’s unusual body, removed the White Zetsu fused to him, and began to suspect that Madara was still alive. Meanwhile, Minato stayed in Konoha to build his strength, while Black Zetsu faced the unexpected death of Madara and the loss of his plans for Obito.

• Orochimaru examined Obito, killed the White Zetsu fused to him, and discovered Hashirama Cells in Obito’s body.
• Minato remained in Konoha under Shikaku’s advice, while Jiraiya continued traveling outside the village.
• Orochimaru secretly investigated the area near Kannabi Bridge and found the cave where Madara had lived.
• Orochimaru reasoned that Madara could have survived by using Izanagi and wondered what purpose he had in staying alive.
• Black Zetsu learned that Madara had died of old age that winter, while Obito had returned to Konoha instead of pursuing the tailed beasts.

Orochimaru restored Obito’s body while Konoha prepared for Kushina’s imminent childbirth and worried about the Nine-Tails. The chapter left Minato and Orochimaru’s factions increasingly suspicious of each other as the village arranged for Kushina to give birth outside Konoha.

• Orochimaru studied White Zetsu, used its remaining material to restore Obito’s body, and kept Obito’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan for Masaichi.
• Obito learned from Kakashi that Kushina might be killed during childbirth and trained to protect her, while Masaichi and other students exercised at the gym.
• Koharu Utatane proposed moving Kushina outside Konoha for her delivery, and the village’s higher-ups unanimously approved the plan.
• Minato remained wary of Orochimaru, while Shikaku’s earlier suspicions deepened mistrust between the two factions.

Minato and Kushina welcomed Naruto in a calm birth, while Obito and Kakashi waited outside and Obito eagerly met the baby. Later, acting Hokage Masaichi inspected the Ninja Academy, heard Iruka’s complaint about the cafeteria, and uncovered deeper corruption and factional problems threatening Konoha.

• Obito and Kakashi discussed Minato’s choice of baby names and Obito asked why Rin had been sent away from Konoha.
• Kushina gave birth to Naruto without the Nine-Tails appearing, and Obito rushed in, held the baby, and gave him money.
• Masaichi returned to the Ninja Academy as acting Hokage and asked first-year student Iruka what needed improvement.
• Iruka complained about the cafeteria food, so Masaichi confronted cafeteria manager Ryoko Akimichi about it.
• Masaichi’s investigation revealed corruption, factional conflict, clan privilege, and other problems that left Konoha in a precarious state.