Recaps

Yayoi and Kicho prepared for Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding amid heightened security, and the ceremony began with dignitaries from several nations in attendance. At the wedding, Rikuo encountered Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, explaining that he had been assigned to security.

• Yayoi and Kicho coordinated strict security for the wedding to prevent attacks from harming attendees.
• Kicho and Yayoi reflected on their earlier wedding and how the Land of Night’s growing power had drawn more enemies.
• Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding began in late October, with Yayoi, Kicho, Hideto Hyuga, Kiyoharu Hyuga, and other guests present.
• Yayoi noticed Kiyoharu Hyuga’s young twins, Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga, among the attendees.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru watched Doichi’s ceremony before Rikuo approached them and said he was working security.

After Doichi’s wedding, Yayoi gave him a mission to investigate and punish merchants and officials involved in secretly running a private ninja school in the Land of Night. Doichi accepted the assignment as his first test of independence and leadership.

• Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding ended successfully, while guests speculated about Yayoi’s succession plans and Rikuo’s strength.
• A month later, Yayoi summoned Doichi to the snowy terrace and handed him a sealed scroll containing a mission.
• Doichi learned that merchants had secretly operated a private ninja school for two years with help from government and Military Bureau personnel who also resold arms.
• Doichi realized Izayoi had uncovered most of the scheme soon after it began and that Yayoi had delayed action so he could handle the cleanup.
• Doichi accepted the mission and prepared to make his first major test as an independent leader.

Kiyoharu arranged for Kicho to keep his sons Hiashi and Hizashi in the Land of Night, using Hizashi’s supposed frailty to protect him from the Caged Bird. Meanwhile, Yayoi inspected his vast new palace with Irori and named it the Heavenly Dao Palace.

• Kiyoharu asked Kicho to look after Hiashi and Hizashi, claiming Hizashi needed time to recuperate.
• Kicho agreed to care for both nephews and said she would eventually send Hiashi back to Konoha, leaving Hizashi’s return undecided.
• Kiyoharu acknowledged that his father, Hyuga Hideto, had chosen to retire in the Land of Night.
• Yayoi and Irori inspected the enormous palace built across the snow-covered mountain platforms.
• Yayoi noted that the palace still needed interior decorations and stronger internal barriers and sealing arrays, work he planned to entrust to Hisana.
• Yayoi named the palace the Heavenly Dao Palace.

Yayoi returned to Nightview City after heavily fortifying Heavenly Dao Palace and its surrounding defenses. Meanwhile, Doichi’s team reached Kuroda Castle and prepared to arrest those behind the privately operated Ninja Academies, leaving Doichi to confront the difficult task of sorting out the many people implicated.

• Yayoi left Heavenly Dao Palace with Irori after installing extensive defenses, including puppets, Tsuchigumo Clan summoned beasts, and a reverse summoning formation.
• Doichi arrived at Kuroda Castle with Mifune, Aburame Jūjirō, Shiraishi Aotori, Uchiha Megumi, and his other subordinates.
• Doichi ordered Aburame Jūjirō to arrange a meeting and instructed Mifune to arrest the targets, killing anyone who resisted.
• Doichi used his Byakugan to survey Kuroda Castle and stayed behind to monitor the operation and respond to trouble.
• Doichi considered how to distinguish the masterminds from coerced or uninvolved people among more than a thousand implicated individuals, realizing that handling the aftermath would be the hardest part.

Yayoi approved Doichi’s handling of the Kuroda Castle incident and sent him to purge eastern rebels, then assigned Tadayuki and Hideyuki to assist him. More than two years later, as Yayoi’s succession plans reshaped the Land of Night, the Third Kazekage faced the theft of Dragon Vein Chakra and suspected Hidden Cloud Village.

• Yayoi approved Doichi’s recommendations for punishing those involved in the Kuroda Castle incident and sent him another mission to purge eastern rebels.
• Yayoi ordered Tadayuki and Hideyuki to go to Kuroda Castle and help Doichi.
• Over two years, Doichi’s allies entered senior positions in the Land of Night, signaling that Yayoi planned to step down and name Doichi as his successor.
• The Third Kazekage took office in Sunagakure, adopted an aggressive military policy, and twice suppressed the rampaging One-Tail, Shukaku.
• The Third Kazekage learned that Dragon Vein Chakra prepared for trade with the Land of Night had been stolen and ordered a squad to explain the incident to Yayoi.
• The Third Kazekage ordered an investigation into Hidden Cloud Village, suspecting its shinobi had stolen the Dragon Vein Chakra.

After the Hidden Sand Village reported that the Dragon Vein Chakra had been stolen, Yayoi agreed to help recover it and decided to investigate personally. He invited Irori and the others to join him, turning the search into a family outing.

• A Hidden Sand Village Anbu member told Yayoi that attackers had stolen the Dragon Vein Chakra while it was being escorted back to the village.
• Irori suspected Hidden Cloud Village, but Yayoi said they were not the only possible culprits and doubted they would openly provoke both nations.
• Irori asked which squad should retrieve the Dragon Vein Chakra, while Yayoi chose to go investigate himself and enjoy a rare trip outside.
• Yayoi invited Irori, Yaya, the others, and Kicho to join the search as a whole-family outing.

Doichi and Megumi continued managing the Land of Night after Yayoi left on a trip, and Doichi decided to involve Rikuo in the work. Meanwhile, Yayoi enjoyed a hot-spring retreat with his companions and watched their performances, choosing to keep relaxing instead of remembering why he had traveled.

• Megumi helped Doichi process official documents, and he praised her work while thinking of his other wives' duties.
• Doichi received an email from Yayoi saying he had gone traveling and left home affairs to him, which Doichi interpreted as a test of his leadership.
• Doichi decided to summon his younger brother Rikuo and give him more responsibility.
• Yayoi relaxed at a hot-spring inn with Irori, Kicho, and the others while Yaya performed a song and dance.
• Hisana proposed teaching Izayoi a Shrine Maiden Dance and called Oboro and Nene to join, while Yayoi continued enjoying the retreat.

Yayoi traveled through the Land of Grass in a colossal spider puppet toward the Land of Rivers, drawing the attention of nearby powers. In Konoha, Hiruzen approved Danzo’s request for a Wood Release shinobi, then ordered the Anbu to monitor Yayoi’s movements closely.

• Yayoi piloted his giant spider puppet toward the Land of Rivers, where a signal from the Dragon Vein Chakra container had originated.
• Hiruzen approved Danzo’s request to transfer an Anbu Wood Release shinobi into Root, which was newly formed to monitor the Uchiha Clan.
• Hiruzen reflected on Konoha’s progress in Wood Release research and the three shinobi who had successfully gained the ability.
• An Anbu operative delivered a photograph and report showing Yayoi’s spider puppet traveling through the Land of Grass with a formidable entourage.
• Hiruzen sent another Anbu squad to the Land of Grass and ordered reports every three hours, telling them not to approach unless Yayoi acted suspiciously.

Yayoi tracked the stolen Dragon Vein Chakra to a hidden base in the Land of Rivers, where he discovered Shinnō researching Dark Chakra. The chapter left Shinnō pleading for his life by claiming to be Yayoi’s follower.

• Yayoi traveled through the Land of Rivers with Irori and Murasame while Anbu from Konoha and Hidden Sand Village followed at a distance.
• Yayoi found a concealed mountain entrance, and Murasame cut through its barrier to expose the base.
• Irori froze the base’s defenders and alarm systems as the group advanced into the laboratory.
• Yayoi found the Dragon Vein Chakra still sealed in its Golden Cauldron and recognized the frozen young man as Shinnō, who was studying Dark Chakra.
• Irori freed Shinnō from the ice, and Shinnō panicked upon seeing Yayoi and claimed he had adored the general since childhood.

Yayoi spared Shinnō and recruited him to the Land of Night after reviewing his research, taking his physical regeneration work and the Dragon Vein Chakra. In Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage learned that Hidden Cloud denied involvement in the Dragon Vein theft and rejected the Raikage’s request to return captured Anbu, preparing to stand against Hidden Cloud.

• Yayoi reviewed Shinnō’s research, valued his physical regeneration ninjutsu, and gave him a recommendation to join the Land of Night.
• Yayoi took the Dragon Vein Chakra and left Shinnō with a cursed seal tracking his location.
• Shinnō collapsed after Yayoi departed and hoped that joining the Land of Night would let him continue his research without hiding.
• Sunagakure Anbu tortured captured Hidden Cloud Anbu, whose statements denied that Hidden Cloud had recently targeted the Dragon Vein Chakra.
• The Third Kazekage ordered the interrogation to continue, then read the Raikage’s letter and refused to return the captured Anbu.

Yayoi learned that the Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud Villages had clashed, then enjoyed his quiet retirement on a deserted island. Back in Kumogakure, the Third Raikage discovered the Sand’s hostility stemmed from the stolen Dragon Vein Chakra and chose to avoid a larger conflict.

• Yayoi read a report that the Third Kazekage and Third Raikage had fought to a stalemate on a deserted island.
• Yayoi dismissed the conflict as unrelated to his retirement and joined his companions for a seafood feast.
• The Third Raikage returned to Kumogakure furious about the clash and the loss of two Anbu squads.
• Robui told the Third Raikage that the Hidden Sand had targeted Kumogakure because the Dragon Vein Chakra meant for trade with the Land of Night had been stolen.
• The Third Raikage decided to avoid a major conflict and ordered Anbu to stay away from Hidden Sand personnel and patrol areas.

The Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud villages ended their standoff without a major battle. In Nightview City, Doichi assigned Rikuo to lead a team abroad and crush a band of thieves, Black Market shinobi, and local schemers in the Land of Thoughts.

• The Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud villages traded insults and minor blows until they ended their conflict in October.
• Doichi received gifts and photographs from his traveling parents, then showed Rikuo the portion set aside for him.
• Doichi gave Rikuo a mission document and explained that thieves in the Land of Thoughts had seized a shipment bound for the Land of Night.
• Doichi told Rikuo that the thieves had hired Black Market Ninja Mercenaries and ordered him to restore order quickly.
• Doichi intended Rikuo to eliminate the criminals, pressure the Daimyo of the Land of Thoughts to abandon his schemes, and gain experience for his future leadership of the Special Assault Department.

After returning from his global tour, Yayoi praised Doichi and decided to hand him most of the general’s authority, while planning his own early retirement. He prepared to invite aging veteran shinobi to discuss joining a small immortal special-operations force through controlled Cursed Seals.

• Yayoi returned to the Land of Night after his tour, bringing gifts for the children and visiting Hisana’s parents in the Land of Whirlpool.
• Yayoi praised Doichi’s management and told him to handle future work without passing it up, effectively handing him most of the general’s authority.
• Yayoi considered formally ceding the general’s position next year and arranging retirement for veteran cadres, with Kakuzu as an exception.
• Yayoi planned to offer selected aging elites Cursed Seal crystals and consider freezing their family members until better life-extension methods became available.
• Yayoi drafted a list of veteran shinobi, including Kurobei, Uchiha Hokuto, Uchiha Meirou, Aburame Yuroketsu, Hoshigaki Kairyu, Jizomaru, and Iron Sparrow, and asked Irori to summon them for a banquet discussion.

Yayoi’s former subordinates began preparing to enter the Heavenly Dao Palace and receive the Cursed Seal, while Raizo left to visit Tamaki. As the Land of Night’s senior officials retired and departments changed hands, Rikuo took charge of the Special Assault Department and set out alone to complete four missions.

• Yayoi explained that people who received the Cursed Seal would need to spend most of their time in the Heavenly Dao Palace, and he told Raizo to visit Tamaki discreetly before returning there.
• Raizo left to see Tamaki, who had become a Jonin and served in the Personnel Education Department.
• Throughout Year 35, several department heads and deputies stepped down, and Rikuo succeeded his mother Izayoi as head of the Special Assault Department.
• Doichi gave Rikuo one S-rank and three A-rank mission files, then sent him to handle them using his newly mastered Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Rikuo declined to take a companion and vanished from Doichi’s office to begin his missions.

Yayoi prepared to move the prisoners in the General’s Residence as the Land of Night’s transition of power neared completion, and offered Kinkaku and Ginkaku a chance to leave their cells. He left them to consider his proposal, while intending to keep using them for their tailed-beast chakra if they refused.

• Yayoi reflected on Doichi’s growing command of the country and Rikuo’s efficiency as a mission-grinding machine.
• Yayoi entered the underground prison and told its prisoners he planned to move them to larger quarters and might let them outside occasionally.
• Yayoi confronted Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who rejected his good intentions and accused him of wanting their Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Yayoi invited the brothers to leave their cell and use their strength to help the Land of Night, then departed before they could answer.

The Land of Night crushed foreign attempts to exploit its transfer of power, prompting the nations to recognize the strength of the Snow Moon Flower Three Sisters. In Konoha, Hiruzen recalled a planned probe and learned Danzo had gone to watch Amegakure, leaving him concerned about the increasingly powerful Hanzo.

• Irori froze an island in the Land of Night's northern waters, destroying dozens of unidentified shinobi who planned to raid merchant ships.
• The black-haired, black-eyed girl and Ghost purged other unauthorized forces along the Land of Night's borders, causing the probing nations to withdraw.
• Kumogakure assessed the Snow Moon Flower Three Sisters as a strategic force comparable to three perfectly controlled Tailed Beasts, while outsiders remained wary of the suspected fourth chakra life-form.
• Hiruzen rescinded Konoha's plan to send a squad into the Land of Night after seeing the other probes crushed.
• Shikamon Nara told Hiruzen that Danzo was absent from the meeting because he had gone to watch Amegakure's unusual movements.
• Hiruzen recalled Amegakure's growing military strength under Hanzo and worried about Danzo's safety.

Konoha’s leaders reviewed the Land of Night’s new leadership and adjusted their approach, while Uchiha Zhuiliu volunteered to lead a delegation to the Second Shogun’s succession ceremony. At the border, Hanzo defeated Danzo and Root, leaving Danzo determined to find a way to deal with him.

• Hiruzen and Konoha’s officials discussed the Land of Night’s new leaders, focusing on Rikuo Oda, Flying Kite, and the Second Shogun, Oda Doichi.
• Shikamon outlined revised guidelines for Konoha’s relationship with the Land of Night and asked for a leader for the succession-ceremony delegation.
• Uchiha Zhuiliu volunteered to lead the delegation, and Shikamon accepted his offer.
• At the Land of Rain and Land of Fire border, Hanzo defeated Danzo and the Konoha Anbu Root, injuring Danzo’s right eye.
• Hanzo warned Danzo not to enter the Land of Rain without announcing himself, then left with the Hidden Rain shinobi.
• Danzo vowed to deal with Hanzo, whom he regarded as a threat to Konoha and the Land of Fire.

Hanzo returned to Amegakure after fighting Danzo and resolved to strengthen the Hidden Rain, while Danzo and Hiruzen discussed how to investigate Hanzo’s abilities. Doichi granted the Hidden Rain more time to pay its reparations, intending to support its growth and use it to test the major nations.

• Hanzo admitted that Danzo’s Wind Release had wounded him and ordered the Hidden Rain shinobi to undergo special training.
• Danzo told Hiruzen that Hanzo’s unusual Body Flicker Technique might depend on the rain, and he proposed investigating and surveilling the Hidden Rain.
• Danzo refused Hiruzen’s offer to replace his injured eye and vowed to overcome the humiliation himself.
• A Hidden Rain jonin asked Doichi to delay the reparations, and Doichi amended the agreement to set the deadline ten years later.
• After the jonin left, Doichi considered how a stronger Hidden Rain could challenge the surrounding major nations and serve the Land of Night’s interests.

At Oda Doichi’s inauguration as the Land of Night’s second shogun, foreign delegations and local officials were stunned to learn that the Seven-Tails served as Environmental Protection Department director without a Jinchūriki. The ceremony also introduced Naraku as director of the newly established Mechanized Command Department, leaving the story with the Land of Night’s leaders and guests grappling with its unexpected institutions.

• Oda Doichi’s inauguration ceremony filled the Central Assembly Hall with officials, foreign delegations, and camera crews broadcasting the event.
• Foreign delegations saw the Seven-Tails sitting among the guests under a sign identifying him as Environmental Protection Department director.
• Shikamon Nara and the other shinobi realized the Land of Night had no Jinchūriki and had instead earned the Seven-Tails’ trust.
• Land of Night officials learned that the Seven-Tails held the director post, overturning their assumptions about a Perfect Jinchūriki.
• Naraku arrived, greeted the Military Bureau’s senior officers, and took his seat as director of the Mechanized Command Department.

Yayoi retired as First General and Oda Doichi was inaugurated as the Land of Night’s Second General in a grand ceremony. During the ensuing celebration, Shikamon Nara and Uchiha Zhuiliu discussed the Land of Night’s strength and the threat posed by its younger generation.

• Yayoi delivered his farewell speech and welcomed Oda Doichi to the dais as his successor.
• Oda Doichi gave his inaugural address, and the Land of Night’s elaborate ceremony impressed delegates from other nations.
• Nightview City celebrated the inauguration with several days of festivities and fireworks.
• Shikamon Nara and Uchiha Zhuiliu watched the city from an observation deck and discussed the Uchiha Clan in the Land of Night.
• Zhuiliu admitted he could not match Rikuo Oda and suspected Rikuo’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan had ocular power comparable to a Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Shikamon concluded that Konoha could not exploit the older generation’s retirement because the Land of Night’s younger leaders remained formidable.

Yayoi prepared to retire to the Heavenly Dao Palace, transporting his vast collection and his household there with the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Back in Konoha, Hiruzen heard Shikamon’s report about the Land of Night and decided to wait before acting on the Tailed Beasts.

• Yayoi packed more than a thousand containers of treasures as he prepared to hand Tenshu Tower and the Inner Court to Doichi.
• Yayoi used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to transport the containers and his companions’ belongings to the Heavenly Dao Palace.
• Izayoi recognized the technique’s potential for warfare, while Yayoi considered combining it with principles from the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Shikamon Nara and Uchiha Zhuiliu returned to Konoha, and Shikamon told Hiruzen about the succession ceremony, the Land of Night’s relationship with the Tailed Beasts, and Rikuo Oda’s strength.
• Hiruzen and Shikamon agreed to wait and watch how the other villages dealt with their Tailed Beasts before Konoha made a move.

Yayoi oversaw the treasures and facilities of the Akanishta Heavenly Dao Palace, then placed cursed seals on retired cadres before they entered a three-year hibernation. He left Raizo, Murasame, and Komurasaki to guard the Samsara Pagoda, while Kinkaku and Ginkaku remained imprisoned in the Black Tower.

• Puppet samurai moved rare treasures into the Seven-Star House, where Yayoi regretted that he could not collect the Six Paths Ninja Tools still held by Kumogakure.
• Yayoi visited the Samsara Pagoda, where retired cadres and other approved people could receive cursed seals and enter hibernation, and he noted the Black Tower's role as a high-security prison.
• Nene reported that the hibernation period would last about three years after Yayoi planted cursed seals on nearly ten people.
• Yayoi left Raizo in charge of the hibernation facility and arranged for Murasame and Komurasaki to patrol it.
• Yayoi planned to keep Kinkaku and Ginkaku imprisoned until he could control their lives and deaths with cursed seals.

Yayoi inspected the Heavenly Dao Palace’s Mechanized Corps and watched its new Jonin-level lord puppets demonstrate their coordinated ninjutsu, barrier, and sealing abilities. Naraku prepared to show the Yin and Yang puppets next, while Yayoi considered creating specialized puppets to manage the treasury and prison.

• Yayoi reviewed the Mechanized Corps’ puppet forces and the twenty Jonin-level lord puppets assigned to the Heavenly Dao Palace.
• Four barrier puppets formed the Four Violet Flames Battle Formation while five elemental puppets demonstrated coordinated ninjutsu inside it.
• Four sealing puppets absorbed the attacks into scrolls, restoring calm within the barrier.
• Yayoi praised the puppets’ performance, and Naraku explained that he could control them while also operating elsewhere through other puppets.
• Yayoi identified the two remaining Yin and Yang puppets, and Naraku moved them forward to demonstrate their abilities.
• Yayoi considered making dedicated puppets to manage the treasury and prison.

Yayoi learned that Kirigakure’s attempt to follow the Land of Night’s example and peacefully cooperate with a Tailed Beast had led to the Six-Tails rampaging and rebels trying to assassinate the village leadership. He concluded that the failed effort would destroy any chance of reconciliation with the Tailed Beasts and make other villages more cautious.

• Irori brought Yayoi intelligence about two major disturbances in Kirigakure.
• Yayoi learned that the Third Mizukage had tried to cooperate with the Six-Tails, which then rampaged and left its Jinchūriki near death.
• Kirigakure rebels tried to assassinate the Mizukage and his advisors in the aftermath of the rampage.
• Yayoi recognized the rebellion as fallout from Kirigakure’s failed attempt to emulate the Land of Night’s relationship with the Seven-Tails.
• Yayoi concluded that Kirigakure’s failure would make peace with Tailed Beasts harder for the village and discourage other villages from trying.

Yayoi prepared a new perfect chakra life form whose experiment required more Dragon Vein Chakra, so he sent Irori to negotiate with Sunagakure. The Third Kazekage agreed to the trade after reading Yayoi’s letter.

• Yayoi designed a black-dressed space-time user with silver sealing chains to serve as warden of the Black Tower prison.
• Yayoi decided to seek more Dragon Vein Chakra from Sunagakure because the Heavenly Dao Palace’s reserves were insufficient for the experiment.
• The Third Kazekage weighed Sunagakure’s need for Shukaku against the risk of provoking the One-Tail after Kirigakure’s failure.
• Irori met the Third Kazekage and asked to purchase more Dragon Vein Chakra on Yayoi’s behalf.
• The Third Kazekage read Yayoi’s letter and eagerly accepted the transaction.