Recaps

Jingyi urged Tsunade to devastate the Land of Wind’s oases, then declined to return to Konoha Hospital and went wandering. At Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Hyuga Hiashi apologized on behalf of his clan and offered compensation, leaving Jingyi to wonder whether the Hyuga Clan was choosing a side.

• Jingyi proposed destroying oases and underground water sources in the Land of Wind to punish Sunagakure and enrage its daimyo.
• Tsunade agreed with Jingyi’s proposal, then let him rest instead of pressuring him to return to Konoha Hospital.
• Jingyi wandered to Ichiraku Ramen Shop and ordered a large meal from the young Ichiraku.
• Hyuga Hiashi arrived, apologized on behalf of the Hyuga Clan, and offered compensation.
• Jingyi considered whether the Hyuga Clan was trying to pick a side while he and Hiashi ate ramen.

After returning to the village, Jingyi faced the Hyuga Clan’s attempt to win his forgiveness and watched Tsunade discipline Nawaki. Kushina later arrived and complained about Tsunade, leaving Tsunade furious over the teacher’s criticism of her homework help.

• The Hyuga Clan chose Tsunade’s side and sent Hyuga Hiashi to apologize to Jingyi and seek an alliance.
• Jingyi told Hyuga Hiashi that the clan’s sincerity would have to be proven and warned him that the Caged Bird Seal could not control him.
• Jingyi returned home and watched Tsunade scold Nawaki for celebrating after their teacher’s death.
• Kushina rushed to greet Jingyi, then complained that Tsunade neglected her, checked her homework badly, and cooked poorly.
• Kushina explained that her teacher said a third-grader should have understood the homework, and Tsunade angrily demanded to know which teacher had said it.

Jingyi returned from the battlefield and reunited with Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Tsunade before resting. Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi reported to the Main House that Jingyi had accepted his apology but demanded sincerity if the clan wanted his support, leaving the elders worried about his ability to neutralize the Caged Bird Seal.

• Tsunade stopped scolding Nawaki after Kushina defended Jingyi and threatened to have her teacher assign more homework.
• Kushina told Jingyi that students and teachers admired him as the Lord God Slayer, and Mikoto Uchiha shyly admitted she admired him too.
• Jingyi cooked for Kushina, Tsunade, Nawaki, and Mikoto, then went upstairs to sleep after saying the return journey had exhausted him.
• Hyuga Hiashi told the clan head and Main House elders that Jingyi had accepted his apology but required the clan to show sincerity if it wanted to choose a side.
• The Hyuga clan head warned that Jingyi might have found a way to neutralize the Caged Bird Seal, and the elders debated the threat to Main House control before asking Hiashi for his assessment.

The Hyuga clan debated how to approach Jingyi but decided against attacking him and planned to send Mie instead. Meanwhile, Orochimaru refused the Third Hokage’s demand that he return to the battlefield, then became more interested in helping Jingyi make puppets so he could study his chakra.

• Hyuga Hiashi argued that Jingyi seemed fearless, and the clan elders abandoned the idea of secretly attacking him when they considered the risks.
• The Hyuga clan head proposed having Mie approach Jingyi on the clan’s behalf.
• Jingyi submitted his report to Tsunade instead of meeting the Third Hokage and began his vacation.
• The Third Hokage urged Orochimaru to return to the front, but Orochimaru refused unless Jiraiya came back first.
• Tsunade told Orochimaru she was delivering Jingyi’s report, and Orochimaru considered helping Jingyi make puppets to study his chakra.

Tsunade told Jingyi that the Third Hokage was pressuring Orochimaru to go to the battlefield because he wanted access to Orochimaru’s puppets. Jingyi dismissed the dispute, asked Tsunade to obtain the forbidden technique scroll so he could copy Flying Thunder God and sealing techniques for Minato, and she began copying from it in the Hokage Office.

• Tsunade delivered Jingyi’s medical department report to the Third Hokage, who asked whether he had been wrong about Jingyi or Orochimaru.
• Tsunade refused to persuade Orochimaru to go to the battlefield and left the Hokage Office, believing the Third Hokage was targeting him because of his puppets.
• Tsunade told Jingyi about Orochimaru, and Jingyi explained that Orochimaru could manage the pressure himself as long as their puppet-making exchange continued.
• Jingyi asked Tsunade to get the forbidden technique scroll so he could copy Flying Thunder God and sealing techniques for Minato, and Tsunade agreed.
• Tsunade opened the forbidden technique scroll in the Hokage Office and began copying from it, prompting the Third Hokage to ask whether she needed to learn its techniques.

Tsunade copied basic Sealing Jutsu and Flying Thunder God scrolls for Jingyi to use in training Kushina and Minato, while Jingyi rested after months of demanding work. She then ordered Jingyi to report to the Anbu in three days and revealed she was heading to the frontlines.

• Tsunade copied the Sealing Jutsu and Flying Thunder God techniques from the forbidden scrolls and gave them to Jingyi.
• News of Jingyi killing Hanzō spread across the Shinobi World, and some readers suspected his intelligence dossier was falsified.
• Tsunade found Jingyi resting at home, heard how the Slug Sage had trained him in Senjutsu during his months at the medical ward, and showed him the doubtful reports.
• Tsunade told Jingyi to report to the Anbu in three days as a leader rather than an ordinary member.
• Jingyi realized Tsunade planned to leave the village for the frontlines in the Land of Rivers and tried to discuss her decision.

Tsunade appointed Jingyi as Anbu Deputy Commander and left him in charge of the organization while she prepared to leave for the battlefield. After explaining his responsibilities and showing him the mountain of paperwork awaiting him, Tsunade left Jingyi regretting that he had agreed to stay in the village.

• Tsunade and Jingyi agreed that Jingyi would stay in the village while she went to the battlefield.
• Tsunade introduced Jingyi to the Anbu as its new Deputy Commander, giving him full authority over its affairs during her absence.
• Tsunade explained the Anbu's mask and equipment procedures and warned Jingyi that the Elder Council might challenge its authority.
• Tsunade showed Jingyi the personnel files, routine cases, and intelligence reports he would need to review and manage.
• Jingyi asked if they could switch assignments after seeing the paperwork, but Tsunade refused.

Jingyi took charge of the Anbu and brought Shikaku Nara in to help manage it while Tsunade prepared to leave for the battlefield. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage and his advisers considered bringing Shimura Danzō back, and Shikaku confronted Jingyi about his real plans.

• Jingyi reviewed Anbu reports, agreed to familiarize himself with the members, and asked Tsunade to transfer Shikaku Nara to help him.
• The Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura discussed the Anbu and decided that wartime was not the time to cut its authority.
• The Third Hokage suggested bringing Shimura Danzō back after Tsunade left, while Mitokado Homura warned that Jingyi might react strongly.
• On Jingyi's third day in the Anbu, Shikaku returned to the village and was brought in to help manage the department.
• After Tsunade left, Shikaku demanded that Jingyi tell him what he was really planning.

Jingyi took over the Anbu with Shikaku Nara handling its routine work, then suspected the Third Hokage’s faction was promoting Hatake Sakumo to overshadow Jingyi’s reputation and drive a wedge between them. Shikaku agreed the publicity seemed deliberate, but Jingyi believed Sakumo’s straightforward nature would foil the scheme.

• Jingyi pressured Shikaku Nara into managing the Anbu’s miscellaneous work while promising to handle important matters himself.
• Tsunade left for the front lines, trusting Shikaku’s help to let Jingyi manage the Anbu.
• News reached the village that Hatake Sakumo had killed Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law while they retreated.
• Jingyi showed Shikaku the intelligence scrolls, and Shikaku noticed that Sakumo’s achievements were being promoted unusually aggressively.
• Jingyi suspected the Third Hokage’s faction was boosting Sakumo to eclipse Jingyi and create distrust between them, but believed Sakumo would not misinterpret the publicity.

Jingyi arranged for Tsunade to support Hatake Sakumo’s public recognition, believing it would make the Third Hokage’s faction uncomfortable. At home, Kushina argued with Nawaki over whether Jingyi or Sakumo was stronger, while Jingyi gave Little Blondie a full wallet.

• Shikaku Nara dismissed his concerns about the Third Hokage, while Jingyi sent a scroll laying out his plan to promote Hatake Sakumo further.
• Tsunade received Jingyi’s request to nominate Sakumo for rewards and agreed to write to the Daimyo’s Court praising him.
• Nawaki praised Sakumo at dinner, and Kushina insisted Jingyi was stronger than any senpai before the two children argued.
• After dinner, Jingyi told Little Blondie to train hard and gave him a full wallet, which the boy tried to refuse.

Jingyi gave Minato Namikaze, Nawaki, and Kushina spending money before leaving for a Hokage Office meeting. There, he learned that Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi had begun representing their clans as their ailing clan heads stepped back.

• Jingyi gave Minato Namikaze a wallet as a loan, then gave Nawaki and Kushina spending money too.
• Jingyi reassured the children that Sakumo's growing fame had not bothered him, then left after Tiger summoned him to a meeting.
• Jingyi warned the children to stay home and behave, especially Kushina, before heading to the Hokage Office Building.
• Torifu Akimichi told Jingyi that Fugaku Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi were handling clan affairs because their clan heads were unwell.
• Hyuga Hiashi and Fugaku Uchiha sat beside Jingyi, who chatted with Torifu Akimichi about food while Hiashi struggled to keep his composure.

At a wartime supply meeting, Jingyi clashed with Utatane Koharu over whether the Pharmaceutical Department could provide medicine, arguing that it needed raw materials first. The Third Hokage ordered the ingredients delivered and then told Jingyi that the Anbu would protect caravans buying supplies abroad.

• The Third Hokage opened the meeting and asked Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu whether the Logistics and Medical Departments could guarantee supplies.
• The Shimura Patriarch criticized the Pharmaceutical Department’s oversight, and Jingyi rebuked him for trying to interfere in Anbu affairs.
• Jingyi told Utatane Koharu that he did not know the Pharmaceutical Department’s production capacity and challenged her to provide the raw materials needed to make medicine.
• Mitokado Homura explained that the ingredients had been prepared but not delivered, and the Third Hokage ordered them sent to the Pharmaceutical Department promptly.
• The Third Hokage discussed acquiring ninja-tool materials from abroad and, as the meeting ended, ordered Jingyi to send Anbu personnel to protect the merchant caravans.
• Jingyi asked what caravans and supplies the Third Hokage meant.

Jingyi rejected the Third Hokage’s proposal to use Anbu to protect a merchant caravan tied to the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, arguing that the village should form its own escort from powerful clans. After the meeting, he spoke with Hyuga Hiashi about compensation and hinted at goodwill toward the Uchiha, leaving others to wonder whether Tsunade’s faction might gain their support.

• Jingyi objected to assigning Anbu to protect the merchant caravan and proposed that the village recruit escorts from clans such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Ino-Shika-Cho.
• The Third Hokage ended the meeting and left after Jingyi’s proposal highlighted the difference in strength between those clans and the Sarutobi and Shimura.
• Torifu Akimichi complained that Jingyi was even more confrontational than Tsunade, and Jingyi said he would not endure mistreatment now that he had confidence.
• Jingyi agreed to discuss compensation with Hyuga Hiashi while they walked out of the meeting room.
• Jingyi asked Fugaku Uchiha to give his regards to the old clan head, prompting Fugaku and others to wonder whether Tsunade’s faction intended to win over the Uchiha.

Jingyi rejected Hyuga Hiashi’s request for help changing the Hyuga Clan, arguing that the Main House and Branch House system was fundamentally unjust and that Hiashi lacked the courage to break it. Hiashi returned to the clan shaken, then regained his composure.

• As they left the Hokage Office Building, Jingyi warned Hyuga Hiashi that the neutral Hyuga Clan would suffer and said the Uchiha were more worth winning over.
• Hyuga Hiashi asked whether the grievances between the Main House and Branch House could be reconciled, and Jingyi mocked the question before explaining how the Caged Bird Seal oppressed Branch House members.
• Jingyi told Hyuga Hiashi that changing the clan required abolishing the distinction between the Main House and Branch House and solving the Caged Bird Seal problem first.
• Hyuga Hiashi begged Jingyi to help him change the clan, but Jingyi refused and said Hiashi was no different from other Main House members.
• Hyuga Hiashi walked back toward the clan in a daze, then recovered his usual demeanor after a guard called to him.

Jingyi resisted the Hokage Office’s attempt to reclaim the Pharmaceutical Department, prompting the Third Hokage to release its supplies. Jingyi then examined Shimura Clan records for a way to strike back and found a file about a villager’s accidental death that the Third Hokage had handled.

• The Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura agreed to stop withholding supplies and wait for another chance to reclaim the Pharmaceutical Department.
• Jingyi ordered the Pharmaceutical Department to produce front-line medicine but keep finished supplies in storage until he gave permission.
• Jingyi told Shikaku Nara that he had refused to protect clan merchant caravans with Anbu, then requested the Shimura Clan’s files from the archives.
• Jingyi found a file about a villager’s accidental killing, and Shikaku Nara recalled that the Third Hokage had personally settled the case.
• Jingyi asked Shikaku Nara whether the death had truly been accidental.

Jingyi sent Anbu to bring Shimura Lichu in for questioning, knowing the Shimura Clan and Third Hokage would resist. The Third Hokage arrived at the compound just before the standoff became a fight, and the Shimura Patriarch began denouncing the Anbu.

• Jingyi ordered Tiger to take two Anbu squads to bring Shimura Lichu back, then ordered the Anbu in the village to assemble for full deployment.
• Tiger told the Shimura Patriarch that the Anbu wanted Shimura Lichu for an investigation, but the patriarch refused and summoned the Third Hokage.
• A Shimura Clan ninja alerted the Third Hokage, who recognized the arrest as Jingyi's retaliation and rushed to the compound.
• The Anbu and Shimura Clan members drew their weapons, but the Third Hokage arrived before a fight began.
• The Third Hokage signaled the Shimura Patriarch to stop as the patriarch complained about the Anbu.

After the Third Hokage stopped the Anbu from arresting a Shimura Clan elder, Jingyi planned repeated operations to pressure the Hokage Office and reshape the Anbu. He began bringing Ino-Shika-Cho and Yamanaka Clan members into the organization and requested hundreds of equipment sets.

• The Third Hokage ordered Tiger to tell Jingyi to end the attempt to arrest the Shimura Clan elder, and Tiger withdrew the Anbu from the compound.
• Jingyi accepted the failed mission and told Tiger to keep his team ready for a major operation that night.
• Shikaku Nara warned Jingyi that the Third Hokage could quickly block an open arrest, and Jingyi planned to keep mobilizing the Anbu to exhaust the Hokage Office and remove disloyal members.
• Jingyi asked Shikaku Nara to place Ino-Shika-Cho members in Anbu clerical roles and assign interrogations to the Yamanaka Clan; Shikaku agreed to arrange twenty people within three days.
• Jingyi told the Logistics Department to move its fifty spare equipment sets to the main hall and submit an application to the Hokage Office for at least two hundred more.

Jingyi Hyuga sought two hundred sets of equipment to expand the Anbu, but the Third Hokage refused to provide them. At a late-night Anbu assembly, Jingyi dismissed more than a dozen members for secretly passing Anbu information to the Hokage Office and let them leave without stains on their records.

• Jingyi requested two hundred sets of equipment from the Third Hokage to support an Anbu recruitment drive.
• The Third Hokage rejected the request, despite Jingyi's warning that he would collect the equipment himself from Logistics.
• Jingyi addressed more than a hundred Anbu members at headquarters and ordered Tiger to remove everyone on his list.
• Several dismissed members challenged Jingyi, who accused them of violating Anbu regulations by secretly sharing intelligence with the Hokage Office.
• Jingyi told the dismissed members to surrender their equipment and weapons, promising to destroy their files without leaving a stain on their records.

Jingyi expelled Anbu members who had betrayed the organization, then replaced their numbers with puppets and began an operation to surround the Shimura Clan Compound. He also arranged for Orochimaru to make more puppets from corpses, including the demigod’s, and left Orochimaru to deliver them to the Anbu within ten days.

• Jingyi warned the remaining Anbu that disobedient members could be replaced by his cheap, loyal puppets, which took over the expelled members’ duties.
• Jingyi ordered the Anbu to surround the Shimura Clan Compound and forbade anyone from entering or leaving without his permission.
• Shikaku Nara left the Anbu headquarters to avoid being caught up in the operation when the Third Hokage arrived.
• Jingyi contacted Orochimaru and arranged for him to use his remaining corpses and the demigod’s corpse to make puppets, with Orochimaru covering the costs and keeping some finished puppets.
• Orochimaru agreed to deliver the puppets to the Anbu within ten days and decided to recycle the puppets he had damaged during his research.

The Third Hokage rushed to the Shimura Clan Compound after Jingyi ordered a large Anbu force to surround it. He failed to make the Anbu retreat, learning that Jingyi had threatened to replace anyone who abandoned the mission with puppets.

• Tiger and Eagle led dozens of Anbu shinobi to surround the Shimura Clan Compound, waking the Shimura Patriarch and alarming the clan.
• The Third Hokage hurried from his office to the compound, believing he had to protect the Shimura clan’s credibility.
• The Third Hokage ordered the Anbu to withdraw, but the shinobi remained in place.
• Tiger explained that Jingyi had declared retreat a mission failure that would cost Anbu members their positions.
• Eagle revealed that Jingyi’s puppets could replace Anbu operational personnel, leaving the Third Hokage stunned.

The Third Hokage confronted Jingyi Hyuga over the Anbu’s blockade of the Shimura Clan Compound and urged him to restore stability. They struck a deal for 260 sets of equipment in exchange for the Anbu withdrawing.

• The Third Hokage had the Hokage Guard Team reassure the Shimura Clan and then headed to ANBU Headquarters to meet Jingyi.
• The Third Hokage found Jingyi’s puppets guarding the headquarters and sat down with him to discuss the Anbu’s actions.
• Jingyi accused the Third Hokage and the Elder Council of starting the conflict by blocking supplies and threatening Anbu privileges.
• The Third Hokage promised to discipline the Shimura Clan member who had attacked Jingyi and to stop the clans behind the Elder Council from troubling him.
• Jingyi and the Third Hokage bargained over Anbu equipment and settled on 260 sets, after which the Anbu personnel would withdraw.

Jingyi refused to let the Anbu withdraw from the Shimura Clan Compound until the Logistics Department delivered 260 sets of equipment. The Third Hokage agreed to the terms and urged Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura to provide the equipment, leaving them distressed by the cost and the Anbu’s growing strength.

• Jingyi insisted that the Anbu remain around the Shimura Clan Compound until the equipment was delivered, and the Third Hokage agreed to gather it quickly.
• The Third Hokage summoned Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, explained the siege, and told them he had agreed to provide 260 sets of equipment.
• Mitokado Homura protested the equipment’s value, while Utatane Koharu questioned how the Anbu had gained so many members.
• The Third Hokage explained that Jingyi Hyuga’s puppets would join the Anbu and could replace Operations Department personnel while providing surveillance and communications.
• The Third Hokage asked Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura to have the Logistics Department deliver the equipment so the Anbu would withdraw and village stability could be restored.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu worried over the costly demand and the fact that they could not reduce the Anbu’s privileges.

After the village delivered equipment to the Anbu, Jingyi deployed puppets to take over many guard duties and missions, leaving the Anbu short of work. He reassured Eagle and Tiger that the personnel would not be dismissed, while he and Shikaku struggled to find new assignments; at home, Jingyi met Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, whose clan remained wary of his intentions.

• Mitokado Homura agreed to provide the Anbu with equipment, and the Logistics Department delivered the supplies by the next day.
• Jingyi withdrew the Anbu from the Shimura Clan Compound and used more than three hundred puppets to replace guards and take over some Anbu duties.
• Eagle and Tiger asked Jingyi about the Anbu personnel displaced by the puppets, and he promised they would keep their jobs while their assignments were adjusted.
• Jingyi asked Shikaku Nara where to place the surplus Anbu, but they found that the front lines, prison, and Hokage's office already had enough personnel.
• Jingyi went home and found Mikoto Uchiha and Fugaku Uchiha visiting, while the Uchiha remained uncertain whether he meant to provoke the Hokage Faction or win them over.

Fugaku Uchiha visited Jingyi to ask for help improving the Uchiha’s standing in the village, but Jingyi rejected the proposal because the clan offered little benefit and too much trouble. Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina overheard the conversation, and Mikoto was left wondering whether the Uchiha’s situation was truly so bad.

• Fugaku Uchiha visited Jingyi with Mikoto Uchiha and asked Kushina to show Mikoto upstairs.
• Jingyi told Fugaku Uchiha to speak plainly, and Fugaku explained that he wanted the Uchiha to integrate into the village and needed Jingyi’s help.
• Jingyi asked what he and Tsunade would gain from helping, and Fugaku offered Uchiha funds, supplies, and manpower.
• Jingyi rejected Fugaku’s offer, citing the Uchiha’s problems, the risk of creating conflicts during wartime, and the lack of sincerity.
• Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha listened from the stairs, and Mikoto asked whether the Uchiha’s situation was really so bad.

Jingyi finished discussing clan matters with Fugaku Uchiha, then hosted Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Nawaki for dinner. When Kushina and Nawaki learned Jingyi would have more time at home, he announced that Nawaki’s training would be doubled, leaving him stunned.

• Jingyi told Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha to keep his discussion with Fugaku Uchiha secret.
• Nawaki came home complaining that he had eaten Ichiraku Ramen too many times while Jingyi had been busy.
• Jingyi invited Mikoto Uchiha to stay for dinner, and Kushina pulled her away to wash their hands.
• Nawaki wolfed down Jingyi’s cooking while Kushina rushed to save her favorite dishes.
• Mikoto Uchiha asked whether Jingyi would be home more often, and Kushina and Nawaki reacted eagerly.
• Jingyi told Nawaki that his training would be doubled because he wanted to double it, and Nawaki protested in disbelief.