Recaps

Danzo ordered Orochimaru to restart research on Hashirama Senju's cells so he could gain power against Kazan, while Orochimaru welcomed the chance to pursue the work. Kazan took control of the Forest of Death and began making it his home with Kurenai and Hakimi.

• Danzo ordered Kusagakure to accept Yahiko's alliance proposal and seize the Rinnegan, but learned that the Uchiha would support no one unless Kazan fled.
• After the Uchiha refused, Danzo summoned Orochimaru and ordered him to revive Tobirama Senju's research into Hashirama Senju's cells.
• Orochimaru embraced the research, having lost faith in Hiruzen Sarutobi and accepted that Minato Namikaze would become Fourth Hokage.
• Kazan forced the Forest of Death's beasts to train in gathering Senjutsu Chakra, threatening to eat any who failed, while Hakimi supervised them.
• Kazan took over the Central Building as a Training Ground and cleared a large plot for a house, telling Kurenai to ask the Third Hokage to pay for it.

Kazan agreed to take Uchiha Itachi as his apprentice and began training him in the Forest of Death. After making Itachi dig a pit all day, Kazan left him facing a pack of wolves as his first survival lesson.

• Kazan saw Uchiha Fugaku arrive with his young son, Uchiha Itachi, and agreed to train him as an apprentice.
• Kazan told Itachi to dig a large pit and carry water from the mountain, while Uchiha Fugaku assumed the work was meant to toughen him up.
• Itachi dug from morning until night, believing the exhausting task was a test from Kazan.
• Kazan led Itachi into the forest, kicked him into a pack of wolves, and said that learning to survive was a ninja's first lesson.

Kazan trained Itachi and told him to spend time with other children so he could earn people’s recognition. Itachi misunderstood the advice, and his attempts to make friends by appearing battered frightened the children instead.

• Kazan had Itachi fight a wolf pack, then told him to play with other children and explained that people’s recognition came before becoming Hokage.
• Itachi went to the park wounded after fighting a tiger, but the children ran away in fear.
• Itachi asked Obito how Kazan had gotten along with children, and Obito described Kazan’s solitary childhood and eventual recognition.
• Itachi returned to the park battered and smiling, frightening the children again while believing he was showing them how hard he worked.
• Kurenai told Kazan what Itachi had been doing, and Kazan realized Itachi had misunderstood his advice.

Yahiko and Nagato traveled to Kusagakure to negotiate trade ties, but the village chief ambushed them and forced Yahiko to choose between killing Nagato and saving Konan. Yahiko died protecting his friends, and Nagato unleashed the Rinnegan’s power; hidden nearby, Jing Uchiha decided Nagato was ready to approach and ordered Danzo watched.

• Yahiko and Nagato went to Kusagakure to secure trade relations between their villages and nations.
• Kusagakure's chief ambushed them, revealed Danzo had ordered the attack, and threatened Konan unless Yahiko killed Nagato.
• Yahiko stabbed himself with the Kunai and asked Nagato to protect Konan before dying.
• Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and killed the Grass Ninja, saving Konan.
• Jing Uchiha watched Nagato's rampage and told White Zetsu and Black Zetsu to approach Nagato and monitor Danzo and Root.

After the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha’s leaders and clans gathered to choose the Fourth Hokage. Most supported Minato Namikaze, but Danzo backed Orochimaru, leaving the meeting divided.

• Nagato and Konan left with Yahiko’s body after the Grass Ninja were wiped out and Yahiko died.
• Kazan and Kurenai joined their classmates at a postwar barbecue, where the shinobi clans revealed that most supported Minato Namikaze for Hokage.
• Half a month later, Konoha’s leaders convened to decide the Fourth Hokage while Obito, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi waited outside.
• Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara backed Minato Namikaze, and other clan representatives followed their lead.
• Danzo argued that Orochimaru should become Hokage instead, dividing the meeting into opposing sides as Hiruzen Sarutobi supported Minato.

After Minato Namikaze was chosen as the Fourth Hokage, Kazan drank and played cards with Tsunade and Jiraiya, discussing Orochimaru and Kazan’s Forest of Death. Tsunade lost her money and smashed the street, while Kazan sent Uchiha Itachi to keep the Military Police Force from provoking her.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose Minato Namikaze to inherit the Fourth Hokage position, and Kazan left the meeting with matcha.
• Kazan found Tsunade and Jiraiya watching Orochimaru’s departure, and Jiraiya worried that his friend had given up on everything.
• At an izakaya, Tsunade said Minato was better suited to be Hokage and admitted she mainly wanted to keep Orochimaru from taking the position.
• Kazan and Jiraiya repeatedly beat Tsunade at Texas Hold’em, while Kazan explained that the Forest of Death’s creatures could reach at least Jonin-level strength and might form a summoning contract.
• After Tsunade lost all her money and smashed the street, Kazan told Uchiha Itachi to speak to his father and prevent the Military Police Force from punishing her.

Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage as the Third Shinobi World War ended, while Kazan trained Kakashi and discussed the uneasy peace with his companions. The chapter ended with Kazan, Jiraiya, and Tsunade heading to a funeral for the Ninja killed in the war.

• Minato Namikaze took office as the Fourth Hokage while Orochimaru pursued experiments in search of eternal life.
• Kakashi challenged Kazan to improve his swordsmanship, and Kazan demonstrated Divine Departure by cutting a broad swath through the Forest of Death.
• Kazan invited Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Itachi to eat, and he sensed that Hakimi and Tiger Girl were expecting four offspring.
• Kakashi told Kazan that the other villages had stopped fighting after Minato became Hokage, and they discussed the war's many casualties and the peace Kazan's strength might secure.
• Kazan, Jiraiya, and Tsunade set out in mourning clothes as Minato prepared to hold a funeral for the Ninja killed in the war.

Kazan attended a Konoha funeral and reflected on the suffering caused by the ninja profession before joining Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen Sarutobi for drinks. Hiruzen revealed that he wanted to discuss Orochimaru, whom Kazan suspected of resuming First's cell research with Danzo.

• Kazan placed a chrysanthemum at the Memorial Stone and remembered the Konoha ninjas who had died.
• Kazan questioned whether the world might be better without chakra and ninjas, then left the cemetery with Jiraiya and Tsunade to drink.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi joined them and explained that he was still overseeing ANBU while gradually transferring power to Minato Namikaze.
• Kazan, Jiraiya, and Tsunade refused Hiruzen's attempt to hand them responsibility for ANBU.
• Hiruzen said he wanted to discuss Orochimaru, and Kazan suspected Orochimaru and Danzo had restarted First's cell research.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya confirmed that Orochimaru had resumed First-cell research and begun human experiments, prompting Kazan to pursue him and recover the test subjects. Danzo secretly sent Root Ninja to help Orochimaru escape, setting them against Kazan.

• Jiraiya asked Kazan and Tsunade to leave the investigation to him, and Kazan agreed.
• Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly confirmed that Orochimaru had restarted the research and was conducting human experiments with the Iburi clan's help.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Kazan to bring Orochimaru back or kill him if necessary, while Minato Namikaze asked him to recover any test subjects.
• Kazan flew out to pursue Orochimaru after learning that Jiraiya had already gone ahead.
• Danzo ordered Root Ninja A and a team to help Orochimaru escape the Land of Fire, warning them that Kazan was on his way.

Kazan tracked the Iburi clan to their hideout, where Root operatives attacked and tried to seize the Wood Release test subjects. After defeating them, he found Yukimi and Tenzo and demanded to know where Orochimaru had gone.

• Kazan followed Jiraiya's marks and found the Iburi hiding in a cloud of smoke.
• The Iburi refused to reveal Orochimaru's whereabouts, so Kazan used Conqueror's Haki and a powerful punch to defeat them.
• Root operatives disguised as bounty hunters attacked and split up, with one group targeting the Wood Release test subjects.
• Kazan killed the Root operatives who tried to stop him and reached the cave where the test subjects were held.
• Kazan knocked Tenzo into a wall, then ordered Yukimi to release the captured Kakashi and bring him over.

Kazan and Jiraiya failed to bring Orochimaru back to Konoha after Jiraiya let his old friend escape. Some time later, the village gathered at Kazan’s home, where Kushina and Mikoto revealed the names they had chosen for their unborn sons, Naruto and Sasuke.

• Jiraiya refused to stop Orochimaru, who escaped while Jiraiya watched.
• Kazan found Jiraiya and comforted him, then returned to Konoha with him after the failed mission.
• Minato classified Orochimaru as an S-Rank Missing-nin, and Anko was devastated by the news of her teacher’s defection.
• Kurenai followed Anko, while Kazan sent Itachi to catch giant fish for the Forest of Death’s pond.
• Much later, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato, Hiruzen, Kakashi, and the Uchiha family gathered at Kazan’s home.
• Kushina named her unborn son Naruto, and Fugaku named his unborn son Sasuke; Kazan wondered when Asura’s and Indra’s Chakra would appear.

Kazan opened the Gate of Death to test whether Life Return could replace the life energy the Eight Gates Released Formation consumed. After unleashing overwhelming power, he was left skeletal and urgently asked Minato Namikaze to bring him food.

• Itachi misunderstood Kazan’s advice about being a good older brother and decided to train Sasuke into an excellent ninja.
• Kazan sensed Indra’s Chakra arrive in Konoha and resumed training to make the Eight Gates Released Formation usable in ordinary combat.
• Kazan opened the Gate of Death in the Forest of Death, then used Life Return to gather his energy into a massive dragon’s head.
• Minato Namikaze reached the ruined forest and found Kazan rapidly eating while reduced to a skeletal state.
• Kazan asked Minato Namikaze to find him anything edible because the technique was consuming too much energy.

After surviving the Gate of Death, Kazan considered how to strengthen himself enough to endure its power again. Jing Uchiha planned to exploit Kushina’s October childbirth to attack Danzo, while Kazan sensed danger approaching and prepared supplies for the birth.

• Kazan recovered after opening the Gate of Death, and Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the Eight Gates Released Formation to the others.
• Kazan said Life Return alone could not save him from the Gate of Death and considered using Tailed Beast Chakra to increase his endurance.
• White Zetsu told Jing Uchiha that Kushina would give birth in October, and Jing planned to use the weakened seal to cause chaos and kill Danzo.
• Kazan stored food in Sealing Scrolls with Kurenai and Itachi because his instincts warned him that Kushina’s delivery would not go smoothly.
• Kazan put a Sealing Scroll into Hakimi’s mouth, while Itachi wondered who could make his teacher feel threatened.

Kushina began giving birth on October 10 as Konoha prepared for the Nine-Tails’ escape, while Jing Uchiha infiltrated the village to help summon the beast and draw Kazan away. Jing attacked Kurenai and Shinku, but Kazan arrived, and their confrontation began with Jing accusing him of letting Miya die.

• Kushina went into labor, and Kazan sensed the birth while standing watch with Jiraiya.
• White Zetsu located the secret delivery site, and Jing Uchiha infiltrated Konoha to lure Kazan away.
• Jing attacked Kurenai at her home, and Shinku joined her in fighting him.
• Jing used his Mangekyō Sharingan to defeat Kurenai and Shinku with genjutsu, but Kazan arrived and freed them with a Shadow Clone.
• Jing confronted Kazan over Miya’s death and unleashed his Mangekyō Sharingan power.

Kazan fought Jing Uchiha after refusing to help him pursue revenge, and repeatedly overwhelmed his weapons and defenses. Kazan shattered Jing’s Susanoo with one punch, leaving him gravely injured.

• Kazan told Jing Uchiha to seek revenge on the person responsible for his sister’s death, and Jing vowed to take control of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Jing Uchiha attacked Kazan with Madara Uchiha’s Gunbai and Scythe, but Kazan’s Haki-powered strikes sent him flying and damaged the Gunbai.
• Jing Uchiha used Fire Release and the Gunbai to counter Kazan, but Kazan split the fireball and pressed the attack.
• Kazan intensified his assault and cut into the Gunbai, forcing Jing Uchiha to summon his orange skeletal Susanoo.
• Jing Uchiha’s Susanoo swatted Kazan through a house, but Kazan emerged unharmed and struck back with Fist Bone: Impact.
• Kazan shattered Susanoo with one punch, sending Jing Uchiha flying and leaving him gravely injured.

Kazan fought Jing Uchiha’s Perfect Susanoo and drove him away from Konoha to limit damage to the village. While the battle continued, Black Zetsu’s allies began a plan to free the Nine-Tails from the newly delivered Kushina Uzumaki.

• Jing Uchiha unleashed Perfect Susanoo, but Kazan caught its blade with his bare hand.
• Jiraiya warned Kazan that their fight could devastate Konoha, so Kazan used a Sage Art Rock Giant to carry the battle beyond the village’s barrier.
• Kazan and Ryumyaku battered Jing Uchiha’s Susanoo while Konoha’s villagers watched from afar.
• Black Zetsu learned that the newborn’s Sealing was at its weakest and told Uchiha Hikari, now called Nameless, to begin.
• Uchiha Hikari entered Konoha, performed the Summoning Technique, and caused pain in Kushina Uzumaki’s belly as Kushina cried out about the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails broke free and rampaged through Konoha while Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and the others fought to contain him. As Minato joined the defense, Uchiha Hikari attacked Danzo at Root and discovered the Sharingan embedded in his arm.

• Jing Uchiha's attack drew Kazan away, and the Nine-Tails emerged in the center of Konoha.
• Hiruzen summoned Enma, while Jiraiya called on Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima to help fight the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails broke Hiruzen and Enma's prison and began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Minato left Kushina and newborn Naruto with Tsunade, then joined the Flying Thunder God Squad to divert the Tailed Beast Bomb with a space-time barrier.
• Uchiha Hikari attacked Danzo at Root, killed Root Ninja with Amaterasu, and confronted him about the Sharingan in his arm.
• Danzo released the seal on his arm, revealing ten embedded Sharingan, and Uchiha Hikari declared that he would die.

Uchiha Hikari repeatedly killed Danzo with her Mangekyō abilities and destroyed Root as he used Izanagi to revive. Danzo emerged with one last chance amid the Nine-Tails’ attack on Konoha and found the village in chaos, with no one available to protect him.

• Uchiha Hikari burned Danzo with Amaterasu, but he revived using Izanagi and attacked her.
• Uchiha Hikari summoned Susanoo and killed Danzo repeatedly while he spent Sharingan to revive.
• Danzo realized Uchiha Hikari could use Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Kagutsuchi, then hid behind Root ninja as she slaughtered most of them.
• Danzo fled toward Konoha for help, but Uchiha Hikari killed him again and destroyed Root’s base with Susanoo.
• Danzo revived with one last chance and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and the ANBU fighting the Nine-Tails while Kazan battled enemies amid Konoha’s chaos.

Danzo sacrificed himself with the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, but Uchiha Hikari escaped. Kazan crushed Jing Uchiha and returned to the battlefield, where he struck the Nine-Tails with an enormous fist.

• Danzo activated the Reverse Four Symbols Seal and was sealed away, while Uchiha Hikari escaped its range.
• Kazan grabbed Jing Uchiha, hurled him into the ground, and struck him with Fist Bone: Impact, leaving only blood behind.
• Kazan left a Shadow Clone to watch for Izanagi and flew back toward the Nine-Tails battle.
• Minato Namikaze ordered the ANBU to spread out as Kazan arrived and attacked the Nine-Tails with the Multi-Size Technique.

Kazan fought the rampaging Nine-Tails while Minato brought Kushina to attempt sealing the beast back inside her and save her life. As Kazan continued to overpower the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Hikari and the Zetsus watched in shock.

• Kazan struck the Nine-Tails through Konoha's barrier and learned Kushina was with Tsunade.
• Kazan gathered energy from the Ryumyaku and pursued the Nine-Tails, repeatedly battering him as Minato went to fetch Kushina.
• Minato brought Kushina, Tsunade, and newborn Naruto back to the others so Kushina could attempt to seal the Nine-Tails inside herself again.
• The Nine-Tails regained some clarity but remained consumed by hatred, and Kazan defeated his attacks with Conqueror's Haki.
• Kazan caught the Nine-Tails, hurled him high into the sky, and slammed him back down with Undersea Drop.
• Black and White Zetsu asked Uchiha Hikari whether they should leave as she watched Kazan dominate the Nine-Tails.

Kazan subdued the Nine-Tails, but Uchiha Hikari appeared and took control of the beast to attack him. As Minato Namikaze began sealing the Nine-Tails back into Kushina, Hikari prepared to fight Kazan in her Susanoo.

• Kazan's powerful punch knocked the Nine-Tails unconscious, and the beast stopped resisting when Kazan said he would seal him again.
• A black Susanoo descended and attacked Kazan, who drove it back before recognizing its user as Uchiha Hikari.
• Uchiha Hikari controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Kazan, but he struck the Susanoo and wounded the beast, then threw a severed tail toward the others.
• Minato Namikaze and his allies guarded Kushina as Minato began the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.
• Kazan questioned Uchiha Hikari and learned she was a weapon of war from the Warring States Era, sealed by the Senju Clan and Sarutobi Clan.
• Uchiha Hikari declared that Kazan had to die for world peace and activated Majestic Attire: Susanoo.

Uchiha Hikari used Majestic Attire: Susanoo to attack Kazan, who answered with a giant made of rock and drove the battle away from Konoha. The fight continued at a distance as Uchiha Fugaku led his clan to seal the spreading Amaterasu flames.

• Uchiha Hikari armored the Nine-Tails with Majestic Attire: Susanoo and nearly split Konoha with a sword strike.
• Kazan summoned a Rock Giant, which caught and broke one of the Nine-Tails' black blades.
• Kazan attacked the Nine-Tails with the Rock Giant and knocked it aside, but Amaterasu flames burned the giant's hands.
• Uchiha Fugaku arrived with combat-ready Uchiha Clan members and identified the enemy's flames as Amaterasu controlled by Kagutsuchi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Uchiha Fugaku to lead his clan in sealing the Black Flames while the battle moved farther from Konoha.

Kazan overwhelmed Uchiha Hikari and her Nine-Tails Susanoo with his speed and powerful punches, while Hikari struggled to land a hit. The fight continued as Kazan chased her, and Black and White Zetsu questioned whether she could defeat him.

• Uchiha Hikari resumed fighting Kazan and attacked through the Nine-Tails, but Kazan used Observation Haki and the Rock Giant to deflect its blade and batter its armor.
• Uchiha Hikari used Amaterasu, but Kazan blocked the flames with an earth dragon and struck the Nine-Tails with a powerful Fist Bone Impact, breaking its arms and armor.
• Uchiha Hikari unleashed Majestic Destroyer Flame mixed with Amaterasu, destroying Kazan's Rock Giant while he escaped and appeared behind her.
• Kazan used Super Giant Iron Fist to shatter the Nine-Tails' armor and half its body, while Uchiha Hikari escaped the blow with a Shadow Clone.
• Kazan chased Uchiha Hikari through the air as she claimed he could not hurt her, and Black and White Zetsu wondered whether she was outmatched.

Uchiha Hikari used her Yachihoko Mangekyō technique to seize control of Kazan’s mind and chakra, then attacked him with Susanoo. Kazan broke free through sheer Zhi and resumed his Ghost God form, leaving Hikari stunned that her technique had failed.

• Uchiha Hikari unleashed powerful Fire Release techniques, but Kazan emerged from the flames unharmed and shattered her Susanoo with one punch.
• Uchiha Hikari’s Yachihoko assaulted Kazan’s mind and allowed her to strike him with Susanoo, sending him flying.
• Black Zetsu explained that Yachihoko could mark anyone within Uchiha Hikari’s field of vision and control their minds and chakra regardless of distance.
• Uchiha Hikari charged Kazan with Susanoo’s sword wreathed in Amaterasu, intending to end the battle.
• Kazan resisted Yachihoko with his Zhi, manifested his Ghost God form, and declared that freedom and rights had to be fought for.
• Uchiha Hikari questioned how Kazan had broken through her technique.

Kazan broke free of Uchiha Hikari’s mental manipulation and fought on after she drained his Chakra, strengthening his Haki with every punch. As Hikari summoned the Nine-Tails to help, Hakimi and Tiger Girl arrived and intercepted it.

• Kazan’s Conqueror’s Haki shattered Yachihoko’s mental manipulation and inspired Hikari and distant observers with his unyielding will.
• Hikari drained Kazan’s Chakra with Yachihoko, but Kazan smashed apart Susanoo with his fists and continued attacking without Ninjutsu.
• Kazan’s Haki grew stronger as he fought, while his Observation Haki let him anticipate and evade Hikari’s counterattacks.
• Hikari summoned the recovered Nine-Tails to attack Kazan, and the beast charged toward the battlefield.
• Hakimi arrived with Tiger Girl and their underlings, tackled the Nine-Tails, and blasted its face with Sage Art: Five Release: Great Combo Technique.