Recaps

Fang Xu revealed to Hatake Sakumo that he had obtained bloodline powers from fallen ninja, prompting Sakumo to warn him about the danger of exposing his methods. Sakumo ultimately accepted Shikotsumyaku for himself, while Fang Xu promised to keep his other abilities and their origins secret.

• Fang Xu showed Hatake Sakumo his Sharingan, and Sakumo warned that the Uchiha and other clans would target him if they learned he could acquire bloodline limits.
• Fang Xu offered Shikotsumyaku to Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi, explaining that it could greatly accelerate body refinement.
• Hatake Sakumo agreed to accept Shikotsumyaku for himself and left Kakashi to decide when he returned.
• Hatake Sakumo realized Fang Xu had arranged for Wood Clones to collect fallen Uchiha, Mizunashi, and Kaguya bodies from the battlefield.
• Fang Xu said he would present himself as a Senju descendant and keep dangerous bloodline powers and their origins hidden; Hatake Sakumo urged him not to expose them.

Fang Xu extracted Shikotsumyaku from a Kaguya ninja’s corpse and helped Hatake Sakumo integrate the bloodline limit, healing old injuries and greatly increasing his strength and chakra. After discussing the Hatake Clan’s legacy, Fang Xu urged Sakumo to think about having more children and to guide Kakashi before his training-focused habits became ingrained.

• Hatake Sakumo confirmed that he wanted Shikotsumyaku because it suited his Hatake Kendo and could strengthen his physique.
• Fang Xu used his darkness to break down a Kaguya ninja’s corpse and extract its Shikotsumyaku bloodline factors.
• Hatake Sakumo let the bloodline factors merge with his body, gaining control over his bones, healing old injuries, and more than doubling his chakra.
• Hatake Sakumo explained that the Hatake Clan had relied on its physical gifts, chakra control, combat instincts, and hereditary Kendo rather than a Kekkei Genkai.
• Fang Xu teased Hatake Sakumo about remarrying and having more children, but Sakumo said he would leave the clan’s future to Kakashi.
• Fang Xu warned that Kakashi was already too focused on training and missions, while Hatake Sakumo insisted he was too young to worry about marriage.

Hatake Sakumo received Shikotsumyaku from Fang Xu and learned how its careless use could shorten his lifespan. After Kakashi returned from a mission, Fang Xu explained that the village might learn of his Wood Release, but said he could withstand Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō’s scrutiny.

• Hatake Sakumo thanked Fang Xu for giving him Shikotsumyaku, and Fang Xu said he wanted his loved ones to keep pace with his long life.
• Hatake Sakumo formed and tested a bone blade, while Fang Xu warned that repeatedly growing and reabsorbing bones could accelerate cellular aging and consume lifespan.
• Hatake Sakumo destroyed the bone blade and practiced Hatake Kendo by controlling the bones already in his body.
• Kakashi returned from a mission and recognized Hatake Sakumo’s Shikotsumyaku, then explained that Might Guy had spread word of Fang Xu’s Wood Release.
• Fang Xu said Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō could not threaten him, citing his strength, evidence against Danzo, control of Root, and Senju identity.

Hatake Sakumo explained how Tobirama Senju had dissolved the Senju clan into Konoha and how Hiruzen Sarutobi’s rule had favored powerful clans while prolonging the war. Fang Xu predicted Hiruzen would be forced to step down, then argued that the next Hokage would come down to Tsunade or Minato, leaving Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo questioning why Orochimaru was not a contender.

• Hatake Sakumo explained to Kakashi that Tobirama Senju had encouraged the Senju to abandon their surname and integrate into Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi later abandoned that policy and favored influential clans.
• Fang Xu said Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo had sidelined him out of fear of his growing prestige, prolonging the war and causing avoidable deaths.
• Fang Xu told Kakashi that anger among frontline shinobi, clans, and civilian ninja meant Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost support and would have to step down.
• Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi named Jiraiya and Orochimaru as likely Hokage candidates, but Fang Xu said the choice would come down to Tsunade or Minato.
• Kakashi questioned Minato’s lack of seniority and achievements, and Fang Xu asked Hatake Sakumo whether Orochimaru would want to spend every day reviewing documents in the Hokage Office.

Fang Xu explained why Tsunade should serve as Fourth Hokage before Minato, giving Minato time to build influence and avoid becoming a puppet of Konoha’s old leadership. He then gave Kakashi the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit factors, and Kakashi awakened the ability to control his bones.

• Fang Xu argued that Orochimaru and Jiraiya would reject the Hokage’s burdens, while Tsunade could be persuaded to serve as Fourth Hokage.
• Fang Xu said the old leadership favored Minato because he lacked a clan power base and would be easier to control, then proposed Tsunade lead for two years while Minato trained as Hokage-in-Waiting.
• When Fang Xu joked about eliminating Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, Hatake Sakumo warned that it would destabilize Konoha; Fang Xu said he would instead strip them of power gradually.
• Fang Xu produced a Kaguya ninja’s corpse and extracted its Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit factors.
• Kakashi accepted the factors, awakened control over his bones, and felt his constitution, chakra, and resistance to the Sharingan’s drain improve.

Kakashi received Shikotsumyaku from Fang Xu, while Konoha’s anger grew after villagers learned the Third Hokage had kept Fang Xu off the battlefields and prolonged the war. Fang Xu discussed the Fourth Hokage candidates with Tsunade, who realized he wanted her to serve as a temporary Hokage.

• Fang Xu told Kakashi to train with his new Shikotsumyaku carefully, and Kakashi resolved to remember Fang Xu’s help.
• Villagers and returning frontline ninja blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō for withholding Fang Xu and sacrificing other ninja to protect their positions.
• Fang Xu walked through Konoha with Tsunade, Kurenai, and Nazi as public demands for a new Fourth Hokage grew.
• Fang Xu explained that Jiraiya and Orochimaru would not want the post and that Minato Namikaze could be undermined by the old leadership.
• Tsunade guessed that Fang Xu wanted her to serve as a stopgap Hokage for a couple of years.

Fang Xu persuaded Tsunade to consider serving as Fourth Hokage by proposing a two-year transition for Minato and a reformed administrative system. He gave Tsunade, Kurenai, and Nazi chakra-storing Spatial Bracelets, and Tsunade ended the chapter open to taking the position so she could protect Konoha from its entrenched leadership.

• Fang Xu proposed that Tsunade serve as Fourth Hokage for two years while Minato handled routine administration as Hokage-in-Waiting.
• Fang Xu said he would back Tsunade in taking power from Hiruzen Sarutobi's faction if it resisted, and Tsunade worried the role would keep her from traveling to the Pokémon World.
• Fang Xu gave Tsunade a Spatial Bracelet that could store up to a hundred times her chakra, and Tsunade realized it could sustain a Wood Clone during her travels.
• Fang Xu gave matching Spatial Bracelets to Kurenai and Nazi, explaining that their costly materials and difficult construction made mass production impossible.
• Fang Xu outlined a system in which departments handled routine work and the Hokage-in-Waiting coordinated them, leaving the Hokage to focus on major decisions.
• Tsunade said she was willing to consider becoming Fourth Hokage if the reforms could be implemented, so the old leadership would not keep ruining Konoha.

Tsunade agreed to try becoming the Fourth Hokage as long as the duties would not prevent her from traveling, and Fang Xu accompanied her to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen announced his resignation and opened a discussion about his successor, while Shimura Danzō decided against putting himself forward.

• Fang Xu told Tsunade they would push ahead with reform without seeking Hiruzen Sarutobi’s consent, and Tsunade agreed to try becoming Hokage if she could still travel.
• An Anbu ninja summoned Fang Xu and Tsunade to the Hokage Office, where they learned Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Shimura Danzō were already present.
• Fang Xu and Tsunade went to the Hokage Office while Kurenai and Nazi continued shopping and planned to watch the returning frontline troops.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted responsibility for his failures during the war and announced that he would resign as Third Hokage, then invited the others to discuss candidates for the Fourth Hokage.
• Shimura Danzō considered nominating himself but held back, believing the village would reject another member of the old leadership.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Fang Xu rejected the chance to become the Fourth Hokage, each objecting to the burdens of the office. Tsunade then declared she would compete, saying Konoha needed new leadership and major reforms.

• Danzo seethed over Orochimaru's refusal to support his plan and resented his growing connection with Fang Xu.
• Orochimaru withdrew from the Fourth Hokage competition, explaining that Hokage duties would distract him from research with Fang Xu.
• Jiraiya also withdrew, saying he preferred traveling and writing novels, and Fang Xu rejected the position as a burdensome job.
• Minato said becoming Hokage was his dream but admitted he lacked the experience of the Sannin; Hiruzen assured him his strength and battlefield record qualified him for greater responsibility.
• Tsunade announced she would compete for Hokage and said Konoha needed new leadership and reforms to ninja training, care for the wounded, medical services, finances, and mission allocation.

Tsunade agreed to compete for Fourth Hokage, confirmed that Fang Xu had cured her hemophobia, and answered Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attempt to use it against her. Hiruzen named Tsunade and Minato Namikaze as candidates and brought Konoha’s leaders and clan representatives together to discuss his resignation, leaving the final vote ahead.

• Tsunade agreed to seek the Hokage position, and Hiruzen Sarutobi asked whether her hemophobia had fully healed.
• Tsunade said her hemophobia had been cured a year earlier with Fang Xu’s help and described her work treating the wounded on the Sand Village Battlefield.
• Jiraiya celebrated Tsunade’s recovery, while Shimura Danzō silently resented that nobody supported him for Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi provisionally named Tsunade and Minato Namikaze as candidates and called for a vote by Konoha’s leadership and clan representatives.
• At the assembly, Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted responsibility for wartime losses and announced that he would pass the Hokage position to the next generation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi resigned as Third Hokage and named Tsunade and Minato Namikaze as the candidates for Fourth Hokage, while Fang Xu declined to run. Fugaku Uchiha and then Hyuga Hiashi backed Tsunade, shifting the meeting away from Hiruzen’s expected outcome.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi resigned and announced Tsunade and Minato Namikaze as the remaining candidates after Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Fang Xu withdrew.
• Fang Xu said he had no interest in the paperwork and meetings required of a Hokage, disappointing the jonin who supported him.
• Fugaku Uchiha weighed the Uchiha Clan’s political position and directed the clan to support Tsunade.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi realized the Uchiha’s support for Tsunade undermined his expectation that Minato would win.
• Hyuga Hiashi announced that the Hyuga Clan also supported Tsunade.

The Uchiha, Hyuga, and other clans backed Tsunade as Fourth Hokage, while Minato Namikaze received fewer votes. Tsunade won the recommendation, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to submit her succession documents to the Land of Fire's Daimyo for approval.

• Hiashi supported Tsunade and considered how her alliance with Fang Xu could help him reform the Hyuga Clan and abolish the Caged Bird.
• Nara Shikaku chose Tsunade for the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, and the Aburame, Inuzuka, and many civilian jonin also declared their support.
• Minato Namikaze remained calm as some jonin supported him, while Shimura Danzo had the Shimura Clan abstain.
• The vote gave Tsunade 127 supporters, Minato Namikaze 42, and 11 abstentions, making Tsunade the recommended candidate for Fourth Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to send Tsunade's succession documents to the Land of Fire's Daimyo for formal approval, and Tsunade accepted.

After Tsunade won Konoha’s Hokage vote, Hiruzen and Danzo argued over Fang Xu’s influence and the danger of old grudges. Tsunade then proposed appointing Minato as Konoha’s first Hokage-in-Waiting, laying out a plan for a smoother transfer of power.

• Hiruzen adjourned the meeting and left, followed by Danzo, who accused him of letting Tsunade and Fang Xu arrange the vote.
• Hiruzen told Danzo that Tsunade was his former disciple and that compromise could preserve their influence, but Danzo warned him he would regret it and vowed not to wait for doom.
• Clan representatives and Jonin congratulated Tsunade, while she reminded them that she was only a provisional candidate pending the Daimyo’s approval.
• Minato admitted he was disappointed to lose but accepted that Tsunade was more qualified and said he could keep working toward becoming Hokage.
• Tsunade invited Minato to become Konoha’s first Hokage-in-Waiting and explained that the role would train a successor and prevent abrupt changes in leadership.

Tsunade established the Hokage-in-Waiting position to prepare Minato Namikaze to succeed her while dividing routine administration from the Hokage’s major decisions. After Minato accepted the appointment, Fang Xu approached him to talk as the meeting dispersed.

• Nara Shikaku questioned how authority would be divided between the Hokage and the Hokage-in-Waiting, and Tsunade explained their respective duties.
• Tsunade offered Minato Namikaze the Hokage-in-Waiting position, and he accepted, promising to learn the work and protect the village through the transition.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi congratulated Minato, while Shimura Danzō worried that Minato would build a stronger power base and resist the Advisory Council’s control.
• Tsunade joked that Kushina would deal with Minato if he left paperwork to her, drawing laughter from the meeting room.
• After the meeting, Tsunade discussed the transfer of power with clan representatives while Jonin asked Minato about his duties.
• Fang Xu waited for the room to clear, then asked Minato Namikaze to talk, and Minato agreed.

Fang Xu asked Minato Namikaze to obtain Kushina’s consent to collect some Nine-Tails chakra and gave him two sealing tools to bring to her. Minato agreed to speak with Kushina while keeping Fang Xu away from her until Tsunade took control of Konoha.

• Fang Xu told Minato Namikaze that he had gathered chakra from seven tailed beasts and wanted some of the Nine-Tails’ chakra from Kushina, with her consent.
• Minato warned Fang Xu that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were monitoring Kushina and that approaching her could jeopardize Tsunade’s succession as Hokage.
• Fang Xu gave Minato a Void Sphere for storing Nine-Tails chakra and a smaller sphere that could suppress the Nine-Tails and stabilize Kushina’s seal.
• Minato recognized that the smaller sphere could reduce the danger Kushina faced during childbirth and asked Fang Xu about his sealing skills.
• Minato agreed to explain the tools to Kushina and ask for her consent, while Fang Xu promised not to approach her directly.

Minato Namikaze told Kushina Uzumaki that Fang Xu had offered a sealing sphere to suppress the Nine-Tails, and Kushina confirmed its powerful effects. Kushina began replacing her seal, and Kurama attacked the new formulas as the chapter ended.

• Minato Namikaze returned home and told Kushina Uzumaki that Fang Xu knew she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and wanted her consent to take some of its chakra.
• Kushina Uzumaki examined the spheres and found that the new seal could absorb the Nine-Tails' attacks, grow stronger, and cut off its perception of the outside world.
• Minato Namikaze urged Kushina Uzumaki to use the sphere, and she pressed it against her abdomen to begin replacing her seal.
• The new formulas covered Kushina Uzumaki's old seal and absorbed the chakra Kurama released as it tried to break free.
• Kurama found its sealing space covered in black formulas and fired a crimson blast at the seal.

Kushina and Minato entered the new sealing space, where Kushina demonstrated that she could control the Nine-Tails with simple commands. The Nine-Tails was pinned to the ground, and Minato was left stunned by Kushina’s power.

• The new seal cut the Nine-Tails off from Kushina and drained his chakra whenever he attacked.
• Kushina confirmed the seal had made her feel better, then entered the sealing space with Minato.
• Kushina and Minato found the Nine-Tails in a vast, dark space without the old chains or iron gate.
• The Nine-Tails charged Kushina, but she stopped him with a word and ordered him to lie down.
• The Nine-Tails crashed to the ground in pain, while Minato stared in shock at Kushina’s control over him.

Kushina demonstrated that the new seal gave her complete control over Kurama and planned to draw his chakra for Fang Xu. When Kurama threatened Fang Xu, Kushina and Minato warned him that Fang Xu rivaled Hashirama Senju, and Kurama wondered whether Fang Xu was Asura’s reincarnation.

• Kushina showed Minato that the sealing space restrained Kurama and grew stronger whenever he resisted.
• Kushina said she would draw Kurama’s chakra and give it to Fang Xu to repay his help.
• Kurama threatened to kill Fang Xu, but Kushina listed Fang Xu’s victories over the other Tailed Beasts and powerful Kage.
• Kushina reminded Kurama that Hashirama Senju had captured and sealed him, then said Fang Xu was at least as strong as the First Hokage.
• Minato revealed that Fang Xu had Senju blood, a Sage Body, Wood Release, and had created Kurama’s seal.
• Kurama suspected Fang Xu might be the reincarnation of Asura’s chakra, while Kushina realized his relationship with Tsunade was more than ordinary friendship.

Kushina offered Kurama limited access to the outside world in exchange for his cooperation, while Minato proposed giving Fang Xu one-third of Kurama’s chakra. Kurama warned that Fang Xu might be gathering chakra to revive Ten-Tails, but Kushina dismissed his suspicions.

• Kushina transformed the sealing space into grasslands reminiscent of Kurama’s old home and offered him limited freedom if he stopped resisting.
• Kurama reacted to the grasslands but acted dismissive, then objected when Kushina suggested he could experience the outside world and its food.
• Kushina assured Minato that her new sealing could control Kurama even if she released some of his consciousness and chakra.
• Minato proposed extracting one-third of Kurama’s chakra for Fang Xu, prompting Kurama to protest that they had no right to give away his power.
• Kurama warned Kushina that Fang Xu had gathered chakra from several Tailed Beasts to recreate Ten-Tails and destroy the Shinobi World.
• Kushina doubted Kurama’s warning, arguing that Fang Xu could have taken Nine-Tails chakra already if he intended to harm her.

Kushina used Fang Xu’s new sealing system to extract one-third of the Nine-Tails’ chakra into the Void Sphere and silence him inside the seal. She then told Minato that Konoha’s constant surveillance made her feel like a prisoner, and Minato promised to seek her freedom with Tsunade and Fang Xu.

• Kushina and Minato left the sealing space after rejecting the Nine-Tails’ warnings about Fang Xu.
• Kushina used the new sealing system to bind the Nine-Tails, drain his chakra, and cut off his voice.
• Kushina extracted exactly one-third of the Nine-Tails’ chakra into the Void Sphere while keeping the seal stable.
• Kushina told Minato that Konoha’s surveillance and restrictions made her feel like a prisoner.
• Minato promised to meet with Tsunade and Fang Xu to fight for Kushina’s freedom.

Minato gave Fang Xu the Void Sphere containing one-third of the Nine-Tails' chakra after confirming Kushina's seal was secure. Five days later, Tsunade received official appointment as the Fourth Hokage, but Hiruzen Sarutobi withheld key powers, so Fang Xu confronted him at his residence.

• Minato delivered the Void Sphere to Fang Xu and confirmed Kushina's new seal was complete and safe.
• Fang Xu told Minato that Kushina's surveillance should end once Tsunade became Hokage, and Minato vowed to keep Danzo from interfering.
• Five days later, the daimyo's official appointment document arrived, confirming Tsunade as the Fourth Hokage.
• Tsunade complained that Hiruzen Sarutobi had left her with administrative burdens while withholding control of the Anbu and other village forces.
• Fang Xu located Hiruzen Sarutobi at his residence and teleported there, where Utatane Koharu rebuked him for entering without permission.

Fang Xu forced Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other former leaders to relinquish their control over Konoha’s forces and administration to Tsunade. Hiruzen agreed to go to the Hokage Tower, then warned Utatane Koharu that Fang Xu was far too powerful to challenge.

• Fang Xu used Conqueror’s Haki to pin Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to the floor and demanded that Hiruzen hand Tsunade the authority he still controlled.
• Anbu arrived to protect Hiruzen, but Fang Xu knocked their lead Elite Jonin unconscious and ordered the rest to report to Tsunade at the Hokage Tower.
• Fang Xu warned the Anbu that he would purge them if they continued acting as Hiruzen’s private guards, and they left for the Hokage Tower.
• Fang Xu demanded that Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura transfer their remaining authority to Tsunade before nightfall; Hiruzen agreed to go to the Hokage Tower.
• After Fang Xu vanished, Utatane Koharu urged Hiruzen to fight back, but Hiruzen rebuked her and explained that Fang Xu had defeated powerful forces and could not be opposed.

Tsunade took control of Konoha’s central departments and reduced Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to narrower roles. The next morning, villagers and ninja gathered in the central plaza beneath Hokage Rock.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura against provoking Fang Xu, and the three went to the Hokage Tower to hand over authority.
• Tsunade ordered the heads of Konoha’s departments to report to the Hokage Tower by morning and directed Hiruzen to arrange the handover that night.
• Tsunade let Utatane Koharu retain an advisory role in Finance and Mitokado Homura oversee routine foreign affairs, while reserving major decisions and oversight for the Hokage Office.
• Tsunade appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy and placed the Anbu, Intelligence, administration, logistics, and mission system directly under the Hokage.
• The next morning, villagers, ninja, returning troops, clan members, and families gathered in Konoha’s central plaza beneath Hokage Rock.

Tsunade became the Fourth Hokage as Danzo plotted to assassinate her and seize power, while Fang Xu learned of the scheme through Owl and ordered Root to wait for evidence. Five days into Tsunade’s administration, Konoha’s backlog of problems overwhelmed her, and she vowed not to keep living that way.

• Tsunade officially assumed office as the Fourth Hokage and received cheers from Konoha’s ninja and civilians.
• Danzo told Root to assassinate Tsunade on her trip to the Capital of Fire, contact the Four Great Ninja Villages, and use the resulting chaos to take control of Konoha.
• Owl reported Danzo’s plans to Fang Xu, who ordered him not to act until Danzo made his move and his crimes could be proven.
• Fang Xu told Owl that Root would be disbanded after the incident and its ninja transferred to the Anbu; Root members accepted the order with relief.
• Five days later, Tsunade, Fang Xu, and Minato Namikaze struggled with Konoha’s accumulated administrative problems, and Tsunade said she could not keep living that way.

Fang Xu and Tsunade reorganized Konoha’s administration, appointed Minato Namikaze as Hokage-in-Waiting, and established new departments. When Hiruzen Sarutobi and the former advisers challenged Minato’s appointment, Tsunade proposed fixed Hokage terms, performance reviews, and elections, leaving them stunned by the threat to their long-held influence.

• Fang Xu and Tsunade established the Konoha Secretariat, appointing Nara Shikaku secretary-general to coordinate departments and screen documents for the Hokage.
• Konoha divided administrative responsibilities among functional departments, while Minato Namikaze began reviewing routine affairs as Hokage-in-Waiting.
• The Research Department and Transportation Department were established, and Orochimaru became head of Research with Fang Xu’s research materials.
• Minato Namikaze accepted his appointment as Konoha’s first Hokage-in-Waiting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura objected to Minato’s appointment, but Tsunade defended succession planning and said she intended to step down once Minato matured.
• Tsunade proposed five-year Hokage terms, a two-term limit, performance evaluations, and new elections, leaving Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura silent.