Recaps

After Hiruzen Sarutobi died suddenly in his office, Sun Xiaolong took over his body and discovered he had been reborn in the Naruto World. He recognized the world’s abundant spiritual energy but found Hiruzen’s body badly damaged, leaving his plans for cultivation uncertain.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reflected on Konoha’s wars, his compromises, and his regrets over Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki.
• Hiruzen suffered a sudden chest pain and died alone at his desk after dismissing the ANBU guards.
• Three heartbeats later, Hiruzen’s body revived with Sun Xiaolong’s soul inside it.
• Sun Xiaolong recalled his former life as a cultivation practitioner and realized he had crossed into the Naruto World as Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Sun Xiaolong sensed the world’s dense spiritual energy, then discovered that Hiruzen’s aged, injured body was poorly suited to cultivation.
• Sun Xiaolong judged chakra to be a harmful force that consumed practitioners and natural energy, unlike the immortality he sought.

Sun Xiaolong, living as Hiruzen Sarutobi, decided to remain Hokage while secretly planning to abandon chakra and change Konoha. He summoned Orochimaru to prevent his talented former student from leaving, and Orochimaru agreed to come see him.

• Sun Xiaolong sensed that abandoning chakra would restore his body, but decided not to rush while Konoha's ANBU and other powerful figures watched him.
• Sun Xiaolong chose to remain Hokage and considered possible successors, then realized Hiruzen Sarutobi's memories were shaping his thoughts.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided Orochimaru's talent was too valuable to lose and ordered an ANBU to bring him in.
• The ANBU delivered Hiruzen's message to Orochimaru, who agreed to visit his teacher.

Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Orochimaru and asked him to stop his experiments and become Hokage’s aide. He proposed that they remove Danzo and the two elders and reform Konoha, leaving Orochimaru uncertain but with a flicker of hope.

• An ANBU summoned Orochimaru to the Hokage’s office, and Orochimaru wondered whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had discovered his activities.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the damage to Orochimaru’s soul and asked him to stop his experiments.
• Orochimaru challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi for having permitted the experiments and doubted his motives.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered to train Orochimaru as his successor and asked him to help cut away Konoha’s corruption.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Danzo and the two elders as obstacles and asked Orochimaru to help remove them and change Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi persuaded Orochimaru to work with him to strengthen Konoha and challenge its rulers, including the daimyo. After Orochimaru left, Hiruzen considered how to deal with Danzo and the other elders while weighing the risks of staying in Konoha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Orochimaru that he was still his most trusted disciple and asked him to help clear obstacles to Konoha's rise.
• Hiruzen proposed that they make a move against the daimyo and seize control of the country, and Orochimaru agreed to wait for further instructions.
• Orochimaru left the Hokage's office to return to his experiments and decide whether to defect or become a Konoha elder.
• Hiruzen assessed Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura as the remaining obstacles, identifying Danzo as the greatest concern.
• Hiruzen considered the risks of leaving Konoha, including the possibility that the Summoning Beast Clan would notice his cultivation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi left his work to Orochimaru, met an aspiring young ninja while walking through Konoha, and returned to his clan residence. There, he reflected on Konoha’s clans, his sons’ limited talents, and his failed hopes of making one of them Hokage.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered ANBU subordinates to assemble, left his documents for Orochimaru, and walked through Konoha.
• Yuta told Hiruzen Sarutobi he hoped to become Hokage, and Hiruzen encouraged him to work toward his dream.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the Sarutobi Clan residence and considered why Hashirama Senju’s vision of dissolving the clans had failed.
• Shinnosuke Sarutobi greeted his father, while Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about Asuma Sarutobi’s departure to serve as a Guardian Ninja.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled that neither son had earned the Monkey King Clan’s recognition and concluded that neither had the strength to become Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Shinnosuke Sarutobi to keep the clan ready for upheaval in Konoha, while privately resolving to protect his son from the fate he remembered. Alone, he examined his aging, battle-scarred body and began absorbing the world’s chaotic spiritual energy to restore it.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Shinnosuke Sarutobi to keep the Sarutobi Clan on standby, but refused to explain the coming upheaval in detail.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reassured Naeko Sarutobi and asked when she and Shinnosuke would give him a grandson.
• Shinnosuke Sarutobi accepted his father’s orders and agreed not to spread the warning.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his room and assessed his aged body, finding hidden wounds but no other chronic illnesses.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi began absorbing spiritual energy and sensed that it was chaotic and partly polluted near the summoning beasts’ holy lands.

Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared to remove Danzo’s influence and considered bringing an Uchiha child into the Hokage succession, while Orochimaru chose to trust his teacher and conceal evidence of his experiments. At Mount Myoboku, Gamamaru awoke to find that the future had become impossible to foresee and summoned Jiraiya.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi judged Danzo to be the main obstacle to controlling Konoha and considered taking an Uchiha child as his disciple to give the clan hope of producing a Hokage.
• Orochimaru left the Hokage Building questioning his teacher’s sudden change, then decided to trust Hiruzen Sarutobi and prepare to hide evidence of his human experiments.
• A Root shinobi summoned Orochimaru to meet Danzo, but Orochimaru refused and intimidated the messenger into leaving.
• Danzo accepted Orochimaru’s refusal without anger and resolved to outlast Hiruzen Sarutobi and become Hokage.
• Gamamaru awoke at Mount Myoboku, found that he could no longer foresee the future, and ordered that Jiraiya be brought to him.

The Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya that the future had become unpredictable and the Child of Prophecy no longer existed, ending Jiraiya’s lifelong search. Jiraiya left Mount Myoboku without a clear purpose and briefly considered becoming Hokage, but realized Hiruzen Sarutobi’s immortality meant the position was beyond reach.

• The Great Toad Sage summoned Jiraiya to Mount Myoboku and asked whether anything major had happened in the Shinobi World.
• The Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya that it could no longer foresee the future and that he no longer needed to search for the Child of Prophecy.
• Jiraiya struggled to accept that his lifelong mission was over and asked what he should do.
• The Great Toad Sage advised Jiraiya to enjoy his life, while Mount Myoboku prepared to close itself off and enter seclusion.
• Jiraiya considered returning to Konoha and becoming Hokage, but realized Hiruzen Sarutobi’s cultivation would greatly extend his life and keep him in office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Naruto Uzumaki’s neglectful wet nurse and ensured the infant was fed, then returned to his office. Shimura Danzō accused Orochimaru of making ninja disappear, and Hiruzen challenged him over Root’s involvement.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Naruto Uzumaki and found him malnourished and deeply asleep under the care of a negligent wet nurse.
• Hiruzen threatened the wet nurse with the Interrogation Division unless she properly cared for Naruto.
• Naruto woke crying from hunger, and the wet nurse fed him until he was satisfied and fell asleep.
• Hiruzen left, deciding to arrange another wet nurse for Naruto, and went to the Hokage's office.
• Shimura Danzō complained that Orochimaru had caused Chunin to disappear, and Hiruzen asked whether Root was responsible.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo over his ambition to become Hokage and revealed that he knew about Danzo’s Sharingan and First Hokage cell experiments. When Danzo resisted Hiruzen’s order to suspend Root and submit to investigation, ANBU and Root forces gathered in the Hokage’s office.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzo whether he truly wanted to become Hokage, then told him to abandon the dream because he was not suited for the position.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that he planned to change Konoha and condemned Danzo’s attempt to gain power through the Sharingan and the First Hokage’s cells.
• Danzo insisted he had acted for Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Root to cease operations and submit to an ANBU investigation, along with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
• Danzo summoned two Root members and tried to leave, while Shinnosuke Sarutobi, Naeko Sarutobi, and other ANBU appeared in the office.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared that he was ordering Danzo as Hokage, not negotiating with him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi used a Golden Light Spell to defeat Danzo and destroy the First Hokage Cells in his body. As ANBU arrested Danzo, Black Zetsu fled Konoha after sensing the spell could destroy him too.

• Danzo refused Hiruzen Sarutobi's demand to surrender Root and prepared to rely on his Sharingan and Izanagi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi cast the Golden Light Spell, which forced Danzo to activate Izanagi and left him howling as black smoke rose from his body.
• Two Root members charged Hiruzen Sarutobi, but ANBU subdued them while Danzo's right arm rotted away and he collapsed unconscious.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered ANBU to seal Danzo's chakra, arrest him, and take him to the hospital.
• Black Zetsu sensed the danger of Hiruzen Sarutobi's technique and fled Konoha using the Mayfly Technique.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi arrested Danzo and abolished Root, Konoha’s clans feared the upheaval was a conspiracy and debated how to respond. Orochimaru learned that Hiruzen had summoned him and went toward the Hokage Building with Kakashi Hatake.

• ANBU detained Root’s members after Hiruzen Sarutobi defeated Danzo, and the remaining loyalists were executed.
• News of Danzo’s failed assassination attempt spread among Konoha’s clans, who suspected a plot between Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• At the Uchiha Grounds, Setsuna Uchiha urged the clan to seize power, but Fugaku Uchiha chose to wait and see.
• Orochimaru wondered whether Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to reform Konoha after taking down Danzo.
• Kakashi Hatake told Orochimaru that the Hokage wanted to see him, and the two headed to the Hokage Building.

Orochimaru accompanied Kakashi to the Hokage Building, where Hiruzen Sarutobi put him in charge of helping manage Konoha and stripped Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado of their positions. Kakashi left bewildered, then followed Orochimaru to see Naruto Uzumaki and Tenzō.

• Orochimaru asked Kakashi about his ANBU work and brought him to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Orochimaru and Shikaku Nara to help manage Konoha while he entered seclusion.
• Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over Danzo and Root, and he ordered them to surrender their positions for an ANBU investigation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Kakashi to avoid missions and assist Orochimaru, leaving Kakashi confused by the rapid changes in Konoha.
• Orochimaru invited Kakashi to see Naruto Uzumaki and Tenzō, the inheritor of Wood Release.

Orochimaru arranged for Kakashi to help care for Naruto and brought Tenzō into the ANBU as Konoha began reorganizing after Danzo’s downfall. He then visited Hiruzen Sarutobi to discuss how to change the village, leaving the conversation poised to begin.

• Orochimaru asked Kakashi to help look after Naruto, and Kakashi agreed.
• Orochimaru told Kakashi that strength was necessary to choose one’s fate as they headed to the ANBU.
• Orochimaru ordered Tenzō to join the ANBU under his command, and Tenzō agreed.
• Orochimaru asked Kakashi to show Tenzō around, and Kakashi invited him to get ramen.
• Orochimaru visited Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked how they would change Konoha beyond bringing down Danzo.

Orochimaru joined Konoha’s upper ranks and discussed reforms with Hiruzen Sarutobi, who warned him about the cost of Living Corpse Reincarnation. Jiraiya returned to Konoha hoping to become Hokage, but Hiruzen Sarutobi told him the position was not available and directed him to meet Orochimaru and Minato’s son.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi trusted Orochimaru with village affairs and let him decide whether to reveal Naruto’s parentage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Orochimaru that Living Corpse Reincarnation weakened the soul, but Orochimaru insisted on making his own choices.
• Orochimaru’s appointment as a Konoha elder and Hokage adviser spread through the village, drawing objections from some residents.
• After Mount Myoboku closed itself off and the Child of Prophecy vanished, Jiraiya returned to Konoha intending to succeed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to retire and told Jiraiya that he and Orochimaru could serve as elders instead.
• Shinnosuke Sarutobi told Jiraiya that Danzo had tried to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi, Root had been abolished, and its members had joined the ANBU.

Jiraiya reunited with Orochimaru, agreed to help rebuild Konoha, and accepted a mission to bring Tsunade back. Orochimaru’s rise to Konoha’s leadership unsettled rival villages, while Asuma was summoned home amid the upheaval.

• Jiraiya visited Orochimaru in Root and learned that they were both being brought into Konoha’s upper ranks.
• Orochimaru urged Jiraiya to stay and help change the village, and the two clasped hands.
• Orochimaru sent Jiraiya to find Tsunade for the Medical Division and told him to visit Naruto, whose identity he would announce after Tsunade returned.
• Jiraiya saw Naruto with Kakashi before the daimyo’s objection to Root’s dissolution prompted a messenger to summon Asuma back to Konoha.
• Orochimaru’s promotion made the Cloud Hidden Village and Hidden Rock Village reconsider their ongoing conflict with Konoha.

As Konoha prepared for a major transition, Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Asuma and forced Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura to resign as advisers, paving the way for Jiraiya and Tsunade to return. Orochimaru reshaped the village’s administration and research efforts, while the revelation that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage’s son brought villagers to his door with gifts.

• Jiraiya left Konoha to search for Tsunade, while Asuma returned with the daimyo’s delegation and argued with Hiruzen Sarutobi before agreeing to stay in the village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura would resign and that Jiraiya and Tsunade would become the new advisers.
• Orochimaru exposed the advisers’ past wrongdoing, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura reluctantly accepted their retirement as Konoha’s clan heads watched.
• Orochimaru joined Konoha’s upper echelon, streamlined village administration, and established the Science Research Division with himself as director and the Nara Clan invited to join.
• Konoha learned that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage’s son, and villagers left gifts at the house where Naruto and Kakashi lived, leaving Kakashi both comforted and bitter.

Hiruzen Sarutobi began cultivating Qi by using up his chakra to restore and strengthen his body, then went to the Forest of Death to hunt for nourishing food. While roasting a bear near the Naka River, he was found by Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, who recognized him as the Third Hokage.

• After delegating Konoha's administrative work, Hiruzen Sarutobi went into seclusion to cultivate in the Forest of Death.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi absorbed spiritual energy and used up his chakra to nourish his body, regaining a younger appearance after three days.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi hunted spiritual-energy-rich beasts and roasted a black bear by the Naka River to replenish himself.
• Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha smelled the roasted meat and followed the scent to the river.
• Shisui Uchiha recognized the stranger roasting the bear as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained to Itachi and Shisui why Konoha had targeted the Uchiha and promised the clan might face less hostility if it followed the village’s orders. After spending another week in the Forest of Death, he returned to the Sarutobi Estate looking younger and told his stunned sons that his secret technique had cost him his chakra.

• Itachi asked Hiruzen why the village targeted the Uchiha, and Hiruzen said the clan’s power frightened people and that he and Danzo had inherited the Second Hokage’s hostility toward them.
• Hiruzen told Itachi and Shisui that Konoha would likely target the Uchiha less if the clan cooperated with the village, then invited them to eat bear meat with him.
• Hiruzen devoured the roasted bear while Itachi and Shisui watched in astonishment, then sent them back as he went to find more food.
• After nearly another week in the Forest of Death, Hiruzen returned to the Sarutobi Estate looking younger and told Shinnosuke and Asuma that he had changed along with Konoha.
• Hiruzen claimed his developing secret technique had removed his chakra, and Shinnosuke and Asuma confirmed they could no longer sense any chakra in him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi settled into a quiet life of cultivation after relinquishing power, while Orochimaru took on Konoha’s administration and research. Jiraiya reached Tanzaku Street but chose to relax instead of searching for Tsunade, and Orochimaru went to visit Danzo in the hospital.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi brushed off his family’s worries about losing his chakra and moved to a cabin near the Forest of Death to cultivate toward Foundation Establishment.
• Shinnosuke and Asuma accepted their father’s decision to leave power behind, while Shinnosuke handed his ANBU position to Kakashi and planned to start a family with his wife.
• Jiraiya traveled to Tanzaku Street to find Tsunade but decided to spend the day relaxing after he arrived.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Shikaku Nara as the Hokage’s secretary and assistant, and Shikaku accepted the role.
• Orochimaru focused on research with Shikaku’s help and then went to the hospital to visit Danzo, where nurses and patients greeted him enthusiastically.

Orochimaru confronted the defeated Danzo and declared his intention to help the Uchiha integrate into Konoha. Jiraiya found Tsunade in Tanzaku Street and persuaded her to return to the village after agreeing to pay her gambling debts.

• Orochimaru visited Danzo in the hospital, dismissed his warnings, and said he would lead Konoha toward prosperity.
• Danzo urged Orochimaru to eliminate the Uchiha, but Orochimaru said he would help them integrate into the village.
• Orochimaru left Danzo behind after Root had been abolished and Danzo had lost most of his power.
• Jiraiya found Tsunade at a casino in Tanzaku Street and told her that Orochimaru had become one of Konoha's elders and Root had been abolished.
• Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha after Jiraiya promised to pay her gambling debts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi cultivated in seclusion while Orochimaru welcomed Jiraiya and Tsunade back and announced reforms and a renewed war effort. The chapter ended with Tsunade wanting to visit Hiruzen, whose unexplained youth and retreat to a cabin puzzled Orochimaru.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reached the Qi Refining Third Level while cultivating in his cabin.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade returned to Konoha, where Orochimaru and a welcoming party greeted them.
• Orochimaru announced reforms, including abolishing the Konoha Police Force, expanding the Ninja Academy, and sending Jiraiya and Kakashi to drive out the Cloud Village and Rock Ninja.
• Orochimaru told Fugaku Uchiha that the village would open more positions to the Uchiha and encourage them to live outside the clan compound.
• Orochimaru assigned Tsunade to lead the Medical Division as Konoha prepared for war with the Cloud Village.
• Tsunade asked to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Orochimaru revealed that ANBU had reported Hiruzen had grown younger and was living in seclusion.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade reunited with Hiruzen Sarutobi and were astonished to find him rejuvenated. Hiruzen said he would still lead Konoha, but tried to leave village affairs to the three of them, and Tsunade refused to let him escape his responsibilities.

• Tsunade asked Jiraiya and Orochimaru what had happened between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, and Orochimaru described Hiruzen's mysterious technique and its effect on Danzo.
• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade reached Hiruzen Sarutobi's cabin and found him grilling meat.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, revealing that he had regained a youthful, handsome appearance and vitality.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi about his transformation, then joined him for grilled meat.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said he intended to lead Konoha toward greater strength while leaving some village affairs to the three of them.
• Tsunade objected when Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to hand off administrative duties.

Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that becoming young had cost him all his chakra, and his former students gradually accepted his choice to stop being a ninja. Meanwhile, Tsunade began reforming the Medical Division, and Fugaku Uchiha persuaded his clan to accept the Police Force’s disbandment and the new opportunities Orochimaru offered them.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi let Tsunade and Orochimaru confirm that he had no chakra, explaining that he had given it up as the price of becoming young.
• Jiraiya promised to work with Orochimaru and Tsunade to make Konoha stronger, while Tsunade set aside most of her resentment toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Tsunade left to inspect the Konoha Medical Department and the Senju Clan’s territory, and Jiraiya departed for the front lines.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed behind to eat roasted meat and plan his cultivation, including gathering materials for a Dharmic artifact and medicinal pills.
• Tsunade began reforming the Medical Division after Orochimaru handed it over to her.
• Fugaku Uchiha told the clan that Orochimaru would stop targeting them, explained the problems with the Guard Division, and promised them access to village jobs and homes inside Konoha.

Fugaku welcomed the end of the village’s hostility toward the Uchiha, while Konoha’s leaders and former leaders adjusted to their changed lives. Danzo visited Hiruzen Sarutobi seeking answers, but was stunned to find his old friend looking younger and stronger than ever.

• Fugaku reassured Itachi that the village would no longer target the Uchiha, giving them hope for a better future.
• Kakashi cared for Naruto, and Jiraiya visited the infant and struggled to hold him.
• Tsunade drank alone at the Senju clan grounds, while Orochimaru pondered the secrets of immortality.
• Danzo abandoned his pursuit of the Hokage position and went to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s wooden house to ask why he had changed Konoha’s leadership and policies.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned after killing a tiger, and Danzo was shocked by his youthful, powerful appearance.