Chapter Summaries

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.