Recaps

After collecting payment and ore from the other villages, Jingyi enjoyed a few days of rest before Shikaku Nara dragged him back to Anbu to deal with its neglected paperwork. Jingyi shifted much of Anbu’s routine intelligence work to the Intelligence Department, whose ninja then complained to the Hokage about the extra workload.

• Kumogakure and Kirigakure’s emissaries delivered money to Jingyi, and Sunagakure and Iwagakure’s emissaries brought ore soon afterward.
• Shikaku Nara confronted Jingyi at home and demanded that he return to Anbu, explaining that Tsunade had also been absent and the paperwork had piled up.
• Jingyi went to the Anbu base and found documents that had remained unprocessed since the Hokage left for the Five Kage Summit.
• Jingyi persuaded Shikaku Nara to send Anbu’s routine intelligence work to the Intelligence Department, and they dispatched the documents and scrolls there.
• The Intelligence Department’s ninja complained to the Hokage that Anbu had deliberately dumped disorganized intelligence on them and that they could not finish the work.

Jingyi defended the Anbu’s practice of sending unimportant intelligence to the Intelligence Department, and the Third Hokage agreed to give the department more staff. The Third Hokage then admitted Shimura Danzō was blackmailing him and asked Jingyi to discuss Danzō’s release.

• The head of the Intelligence Department complained to the Third Hokage that the Anbu was dumping disorganized intelligence on his staff to process.
• Jingyi admitted handing over the Anbu’s unimportant intelligence and argued that the Intelligence Department should handle it.
• The Third Hokage agreed to assign more people to the Intelligence Department so it could continue processing the Anbu’s unimportant intelligence.
• The Third Hokage told Jingyi that Shimura Danzō was threatening to reveal his past mistakes unless he yielded to Danzō’s wishes.
• Jingyi asked what price the Third Hokage was willing to pay to release Shimura Danzō.

Jingyi negotiated with the Third Hokage to make Tsunade Hokage Candidate in exchange for releasing Shimura Danzō. The announcement stunned Tsunade, who went to the Hokage Office and found the Third Hokage arguing with Utatane Koharu.

• Jingyi proposed Tsunade as Hokage Candidate, assuring the Third Hokage that she would not try to force him from office.
• The Third Hokage agreed to the deal to secure Shimura Danzō's release.
• The Hokage Office announced Tsunade as Konoha's Hokage Candidate, and the villagers accepted the choice.
• A medical ninja told the exhausted Tsunade she was expected to become Hokage, and she rushed to the Hokage Office to confirm it.
• Tsunade arrived to find Utatane Koharu angrily demanding that the Third Hokage explain why he had not consulted her.

The Third Hokage chose Tsunade as the sole Hokage Candidate to secure Jingyi’s agreement to release Danzo, angering Utatane Koharu and surprising Tsunade. Tsunade accepted the arrangement after learning the reason, then went to confront Jingyi.

• Utatane Koharu confronted the Third Hokage for appointing Tsunade without consulting the Elder Council, and stormed out after he defended his authority.
• The Third Hokage told Mitokado Homura that Danzo had threatened to reveal secrets unless he was released, and that Jingyi would agree to the release if Tsunade became the sole candidate.
• Mitokado Homura agreed that Tsunade was the most suitable candidate and warned that Danzo might cause trouble after his release.
• Tsunade burst into the Hokage Office to demand an explanation, then calmed down when the Third Hokage said the choice had been Jingyi’s decision.
• The Third Hokage explained that Tsunade was the balance between Jingyi and him, and Tsunade left to confront Jingyi.

Mitokado Homura left Hiruzen Sarutobi to handle Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzō, while Hiruzen decided to negotiate Danzō’s release and make Tsunade a Hokage Candidate. Tsunade confronted Jingyi about the appointment, then accepted it after he explained the political situation and said he welcomed Danzō targeting him.

• Mitokado Homura warned Hiruzen Sarutobi to watch Utatane Koharu and said he wanted no involvement with Shimura Danzō.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to speak with Jingyi and pay a price to release Shimura Danzō.
• Tsunade found Jingyi at the Anbu base and demanded to know why he had made her a Hokage Candidate without consulting her.
• Jingyi explained that Hiruzen could no longer control Danzō in prison and had chosen Tsunade because she had no desire to become Hokage.
• Jingyi said he hoped Danzō would target him so he could retaliate without harming his and Tsunade’s reputations.
• Tsunade accepted the Hokage Candidate title and resolved not to pursue the position unless circumstances forced her to become Hokage.

Jingyi reassured Tsunade about becoming a Hokage Candidate, and news of her candidacy spread across the shinobi world. The Third Hokage told Shimura Danzō the news while arranging his release, leaving Danzō furious and without a clear place in Konoha’s leadership.

• Tsunade relaxed after Jingyi explained the situation and asked him to treat her to barbecue.
• News of Tsunade becoming a Hokage Candidate spread through Konoha, the Land of Fire, and other nations.
• The Third Hokage told Shimura Danzō that he had agreed to release him and that Tsunade had become a candidate.
• Shimura Danzō raged over the loss of his chance to become Hokage, but the Third Hokage said Tsunade’s candidacy had nothing to do with him.
• The Third Hokage warned Danzō not to target Tsunade, Jingyi, or Kushina and appointed him captain of the Hokage Guard Team while postponing a more suitable position.

After his release from prison, Shimura Danzō asked the Third Hokage to let him establish an Anbu-like department, hoping to build a new base of power. His attempt to recruit allies failed, while the Third Hokage agreed only to prepare a proposal for the high-level council.

• Shimura Danzō demanded a powerful post from the Third Hokage, then proposed creating a special department like the Anbu when the Third Hokage refused.
• The Third Hokage considered the proposal but said he needed Jingyi's permission, while Tsunade worried Danzō might cause trouble after leaving prison.
• Utatane Koharu attended Danzō's gathering alone, and Danzō angered her by insulting her choices during the revenge mission until she walked out.
• The Third Hokage told Danzō that Mitokado Homura wanted no further involvement with him and would not help him.
• Shimura Danzō demanded that the Third Hokage plan the department's funding and recruitment, and the Third Hokage said its creation required a high-level council decision.

The Third Hokage convened a high-level meeting to propose creating a new department, but Jingyi opposed it on behalf of the Anbu. Jingyi offered to return the Anbu to the Hokage Office in exchange for separating out the Finance Department, leaving the Third Hokage unwilling to accept the trade.

• The Third Hokage called Jingyi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu to discuss establishing a new department.
• The Third Hokage said the department would handle urgent but less important matters and answer exclusively to the Hokage.
• Jingyi objected, insisting the Anbu's authority must not be weakened and arguing that Konoha already had the Anbu.
• The Third Hokage clarified that the proposed department would expand the Hokage Guard Team rather than duplicate the Anbu.
• Jingyi offered to return the Anbu to the Hokage Office if the Third Hokage separated out the Finance Department, but the Third Hokage rejected the trade.

Jingyi blocked the Third Hokage’s attempt to establish a new department, suspecting it was meant to give Shimura Danzō a route back into power. As Konoha approached the New Year, Sunagakure sent envoys to seek peace through the Land of Fire’s daimyo.

• Jingyi opposed the Third Hokage’s proposal for a new department, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu joined him in refusing to support it.
• Jingyi told Mitokado Homura that Shimura Danzō’s release was likely behind the proposal, prompting Homura to oppose it more firmly.
• Jingyi warned Tsunade about the meeting and the suspected plan to create a department for Shimura Danzō.
• The Third Kazekage decided to pursue peace talks by sending a Sunagakure envoy delegation to the Daimyo’s Court of the Land of Fire.

Orochimaru allowed Sunagakure’s delegation to travel to the Land of Fire’s Daimyo’s Court and warned the Third Hokage that they planned to seek peace there rather than negotiate with Konoha. As Konoha prepared for the consequences, Kushina asked the Nine-Tails to make peace with her so she could safely use its power.

• Orochimaru let Sunagakure’s delegation pass and sent the Third Hokage a warning about its plan to approach the Daimyo’s Court.
• The Third Hokage angrily ordered a meeting with Konoha’s senior leaders and had Jingyi summoned instead of Tsunade.
• Jingyi left for the Hokage’s summons after Tsunade pretended to fall asleep, while Tsunade stayed home with Kushina.
• Kushina told the Nine-Tails she wanted to help Jingyi and asked it to make peace with her.

Kushina persuaded the Nine-Tails to reconcile by removing its chains and using its pride and promises against it. After Kushina left, the Nine-Tails suspected she had tricked it but could not work out how.

• The Nine-Tails rejected Kushina’s offer of peace, accusing her of only wanting to borrow its chakra.
• Kushina removed all the chains binding the Nine-Tails and asked it to keep its word and reconcile.
• The Nine-Tails struggled between breaking its promise and making peace, then panicked when Kushina acted disappointed and prepared to leave.
• The Nine-Tails agreed to reconcile with Kushina and bumped its paw against her fist.
• After Kushina left, the Nine-Tails wondered whether she had deliberately provoked and tricked it.

Jingyi and Torifu Akimichi joined the Third Hokage and the elders for a meeting, where they learned Sunagakure had sent envoys to seek peace through the Daimyo's Court instead of negotiating with Konoha. The meeting left the leaders debating what Sunagakure's move meant for the village's authority and the war.

• Kushina loosened the Nine-Tails' chains and let it observe the outside world, hoping to reconcile with it, while Jingyi remained unaware of her efforts.
• Jingyi met Torifu Akimichi on the way to the Hokage Office, teased him about his weight, and accepted an invitation to try his new dishes.
• Torifu Akimichi struggled to squeeze into the Hokage Office and sat on the floor, prompting the Third Hokage to warn him about his health.
• The Third Hokage reported that Orochimaru had informed him that Sunagakure's envoy delegation had arrived at the camp and requested permission to travel to the Daimyo's Court for peace negotiations.
• Utatane Koharu condemned Sunagakure for seeking peace through the Daimyo's Court rather than negotiating directly with Konoha.

Konoha’s leaders debated whether to continue the war with Sunagakure after Sunagakure appealed to the Daimyo’s Court for pressure. They chose to maintain the fighting while waiting for the daimyo’s response, and Jingyi left the meeting without taking a position.

• Mitokado Homura warned that the daimyo could pressure Konoha by withholding funds, and the Third Hokage asked whether the war should continue.
• Jingyi declined to advise on the war, and Torifu Akimichi reluctantly explained the military and political consequences of continuing it.
• Torifu Akimichi warned that continuing the war could offend the daimyo, while the Third Hokage weighed victory against the need for funding.
• Utatane Koharu called for fighting on, while Mitokado Homura recommended maintaining the status quo until news came from the Daimyo’s Court.
• After the meeting, Jingyi told Torifu Akimichi he had stayed quiet because the issue had nothing to do with him.

Jingyi encouraged Kushina to trust the Nine-Tails while provoking the fox into helping her master its power. After Kushina left to train, the Nine-Tails began pushing her through harsh special training.

• Jingyi reminded Torifu Akimichi that the Third Hokage should be warned about balancing the daimyo’s support with victory in the war.
• Kushina woke Jingyi and excitedly told him that she and the Nine-Tails had made up and that she wanted to become strong enough to help him.
• Jingyi warned Kushina that the Nine-Tails might deceive her, then explained that she would need its cooperation to master Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
• Kushina defended the Nine-Tails and said she trusted it, while Jingyi continued to belittle its Chakra Mode to spur it into action.
• The Nine-Tails took Kushina away for special training and harshly criticized her as she struggled through the exercises.

Jingyi reassured Tsunade that Kushina’s harsh training with Kurama would help her grow, while Nawaki struggled with the prospect of being surpassed by Minato and Kushina. In the Land of Rain, Jiraiya told Konan that he planned to return to Konoha, leaving her saddened by his departure.

• Kushina came home exhausted after Kurama’s training and immediately fell asleep, while Jingyi told Tsunade the training would make her stronger.
• Jingyi warned Nawaki that Kushina might surpass him, and Tsunade encouraged him to accept the differences between even talented ninjas.
• Tsunade left to work overtime after Jingyi realized she had lost her money gambling, and Nawaki understood why she had gone.
• Jiraiya reflected on how quickly Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had grown and decided he could soon leave them safely in the Land of Rain.
• Konan realized Jiraiya was preparing to leave, and Jiraiya explained that he had to return to Konoha because the village was at war.

Jiraiya left the three children in the Land of Rain and asked Jingyi to look after them, but Jingyi refused to help the future Akatsuki trio. Jiraiya planned to return to Konoha, while Jingyi continued caring for his family and training Kushina to master Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

• Jiraiya said goodbye to Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato, then left despite Konan chasing after him through the rain.
• Jiraiya contacted Jingyi, learned the village had listed him as missing, and promised to return within two days.
• Jiraiya asked Jingyi to help protect the three children and offered to stand with him, but Jingyi refused and told him to bring them to Konoha if he could not leave them behind.
• Jingyi told Shikaku Nara that Jiraiya would likely return soon, then declined an invitation to dinner so he could cook for the children at home.
• Jingyi prepared food and training support for Nawaki, Little Blondie, and Kushina, and continued stimulating the Nine-Tails to help Kushina master Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Jingyi attended a meeting where the Third Hokage weighed the daimyo’s demand for peace talks with Sunagakure against the village’s desire to win the war. Jingyi’s reminder that Sunagakure already owed him a huge debt pushed the Third Hokage toward accepting peace talks, while Torifu Akimichi also argued against risking the daimyo’s support.

• A Hokage Guard Team ninja summoned Jingyi to an urgent meeting, and Jingyi left notes for Kushina and Nawaki about finding their own food.
• The Third Hokage told the gathered leaders that the daimyo wanted Konoha to hold peace talks with Sunagakure and end the war.
• Utatane Koharu objected to the daimyo’s demand, while Mitokado Homura warned that Sunagakure had little wealth to offer and that Konoha could lose the daimyo’s support by refusing.
• Jingyi reminded everyone that Sunagakure owed him a huge debt that would take years to repay, making the prospect of war reparations even less appealing.
• The Third Hokage asked whether they should accept the daimyo’s suggestion, and Torifu Akimichi supported peace talks because Konoha depended on the Daimyo’s Court’s funding.

At a high-level meeting, the Third Hokage realized that Konoha’s depleted finances and urgent needs made accepting the Daimyo’s proposal difficult to weigh, while Mitokado Homura argued that the village could refuse and keep fighting Sunagakure. After Jingyi and Torifu Akimichi left, they discussed why the Third Hokage would likely continue the war, and Jingyi objected when Torifu praised his potential to become Hokage.

• The Third Hokage heard that pensions, supplies, medical care, and medicine left Konoha with little money for a new department, and he asked for time to think about the Daimyo’s proposal.
• After Jingyi and Torifu Akimichi left, Mitokado Homura told the Third Hokage that Konoha could reject the proposal and continue fighting Sunagakure, though it would lose some Daimyo support.
• Mitokado Homura suggested that Tsunade could help ease relations with the Daimyo’s Court, while Utatane Koharu pressed the Third Hokage to decide whether they would fight.
• Torifu Akimichi asked Jingyi whether the Third Hokage would keep fighting, and Jingyi said he likely would to avoid setting a precedent that let the Daimyo’s Court dictate when Konoha made peace.
• Torifu Akimichi praised Jingyi as having the potential to become Hokage, but Jingyi called the praise an insult and insisted he never wanted to be told he could become Hokage.

Jingyi complained about Torifu Akimichi’s overly sweet dumplings, then shared dinner with Kushina, Nawaki, and Little Blondie. He told Nawaki that Jiraiya would soon return and teased Kushina about the Nine-Tails, leaving the fox secretly pleased by Jingyi’s comparison with the One-Tail.

• Torifu Akimichi served Jingyi cloyingly sweet dumplings, and Jingyi left grumbling about the meal.
• Jingyi returned home and complained about the dumplings while Kushina, Nawaki, and Little Blondie ate dinner with him.
• Kushina and Little Blondie left the table, and Jingyi told Nawaki that Jiraiya would return to the village the next day or the day after.
• Jingyi teased Kushina about her training with the Nine-Tails, provoking the fox into an angry outburst inside the sealing space.
• Jingyi warned Kushina that Tailed Beasts were cunning and compared the Nine-Tails favorably to the One-Tail, pleasing the fox.

Kushina and the Nine-Tails resolved to train harder so they could leave the village and fight Shukaku, while Jingyi and Tsunade discussed Konoha’s war with Sunagakure. Konoha rejected the Daimyo’s Court’s peace proposal and chose to continue the war.

• Kushina promised the Nine-Tails she would take him to defeat Shukaku once she mastered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, and the Nine-Tails decided to intensify their training.
• Tsunade returned home, teased Jingyi, and asked whether the Hokage had held another high-level meeting.
• Jingyi told Tsunade that the Daimyo’s Court wanted Konoha to accept peace talks with Sunagakure, but the Third Hokage wanted to keep fighting.
• Tsunade agreed that Konoha should continue the war rather than let the daimyo set a precedent of mediating conflicts against the village.
• Two days later, the Third Hokage sent a refusal to the Daimyo’s Court, declaring that Konoha would continue fighting Sunagakure.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha after two years away but went to peep at people bathing instead of reporting in or apologizing to Nawaki. After women complained to the Third Hokage, the hot spring inn owners also accused Jiraiya of damaging their businesses.

• Jiraiya returned to Konoha and had to show his identification after the gate guard failed to recognize him.
• Jingyi watched Jiraiya enter the village through his puppet network and saw him head for a hot spring inn to peep.
• Jingyi threw a Kunai to make Jiraiya leap onto the inn wall, where the bathers spotted and recognized him.
• Several angry women complained about Jiraiya to the Third Hokage, who apologized until they agreed to forgive him.
• The Hokage Guard Team reported that the hot spring inn owners had joined together to accuse Jiraiya of ruining their business.

Jiraiya tried to apologize to Nawaki after neglecting him, but Nawaki calmly told him he had grown up fine without his guidance. Jingyi then revealed that he had framed Jiraiya for peeping at a hot spring, leaving Nawaki and Minato to learn what Jiraiya had done after returning to the village.

• The Third Hokage met with the hot spring inn owners and agreed to compensate them for Jiraiya's peeping.
• Jiraiya went to Nawaki and Minato Namikaze as they rested from training, but Nawaki barely acknowledged him.
• Jiraiya apologized, and Nawaki said he was a good teacher who had given his kindness to someone else, adding that he had grown up fine without him.
• Minato Namikaze offered Jiraiya a grilled fish, and then he and Nawaki resumed training while Jiraiya watched uncertainly.
• Jingyi arrived, admitted throwing the kunai at the hot spring inn, and accused Jiraiya of peeping; Nawaki and Minato learned why Jiraiya had been in trouble.

Jingyi had Jiraiya promise to stop peeping, then helped Nawaki sign a summoning contract and attempt his first summon. Nawaki summoned a giant tadpole instead of a large toad, leaving him embarrassed and Jiraiya baffled.

• Jingyi scolded Jiraiya for peeping and pointed out that Nawaki had changed after imagining someone peeping on Tsunade or Kushina.
• Jiraiya apologized and agreed to stop peeping, then gave Jingyi the summoning contract scroll.
• Nawaki signed the contract and used the Summoning Technique while Jingyi and Jiraiya watched.
• Nawaki summoned a palm-sized tadpole, and Jingyi, Little Blondie, and Jiraiya laughed at his result.
• At Mount Myoboku, Gamabunta assumed Jiraiya's disciple had summoned a tadpole and went back to sleep.

Nawaki repeatedly summoned only tadpoles, while Minato summoned his enormous snake Black Fang and revealed how much it had grown. Jiraiya planned to take Nawaki to Mount Myoboku to test his talent for Senjutsu, and Jingyi warned Jiraiya that he would have to earn Nawaki’s forgiveness himself.

• Nawaki repeatedly tried the Summoning Technique but summoned only tadpoles, while Jingyi and Minato laughed and Jiraiya struggled not to.
• Jiraiya suggested Minato summon his beast, and Minato brought forth the giant Black Fang as the group moved away.
• Jingyi explained that Black Fang was one of Orochimaru’s experimental snakes and that he had intended to give the other snake to Nawaki, but chose a Mount Myoboku contract because of Nawaki’s future Senjutsu training.
• Jiraiya agreed to take Nawaki to Mount Myoboku when the time came and test whether he could learn Senjutsu.
• Jingyi accepted Jiraiya’s offer of barbecue but told him to earn Nawaki’s forgiveness through patience and care.

Jingyi told Jiraiya about the war and Konoha’s recent affairs while advising him on how to repair his relationship with Nawaki. Jiraiya paid Jingyi his promised share of the book royalties, and Jingyi warned that the end of the war might bring Jiraiya trouble.

• Jiraiya lamented that he had let Nawaki down, and Jingyi advised him to rebuild their relationship patiently by showing him care over time.
• Jingyi told Jiraiya that Konoha’s war with Sunagakure was nearing its end and that Sakumo and Orochimaru had received rewards for their service.
• Jingyi reminded Jiraiya of his promise to share his book royalties, and Jiraiya gave him a scroll containing his prepared share.
• Jiraiya hoped the war would end soon, but Jingyi warned that he should hope it lasted longer and asked what the village had accumulated most during the war.