Recaps

Ryuuzaki Eiji used his Kusanagi Sword and Azure to destroy Hashirama’s Wood Human Technique, leaving the gathered shinobi stunned by his strength. With Hashirama and Tobirama falling with the shattered construct, the battle’s balance shifted decisively toward Eiji.

• Eiji extended his Kusanagi Sword and cut through the Wood Human’s arm with his Heavenly Demon Destruction and Full Moon Killing Technique.
• Eiji used Azure to evade Hashirama’s attacks and carve through the Wood Human until it was riddled with holes.
• Eiji unleashed a rapid series of sword-drawing slashes, and the Wood Human crumbled after he sheathed his sword.
• Hashirama praised Eiji, while Tobirama asked about his Kekkei Genkai and urged him to leave behind descendants for Konoha.
• Hiruzen, Ōnoki, the Raikage, Pakura, and the Uchiha Clan members reacted with astonishment or excitement at Eiji’s display.

Ryuuzaki Eiji fought Hashirama and Tobirama, whose Impure World Reincarnation bodies continually healed, while Black Zetsu decided to unleash Hashirama’s full power. Hashirama entered Sage Mode and warned Eiji to fight seriously, leaving the gathered shinobi terrified of what was coming.

• Hyuga Soichiro observed that Eiji’s attacks used almost no Chakra and approved of his son’s plan to bring Eiji into an alliance of the Three Great Families.
• Eiji continued battling Hashirama and Tobirama, overpowering them with his punches even as their Impure World Reincarnation bodies rapidly repaired themselves.
• Danzo taunted Eiji, who struck him in half with a Giant Rock; Danzo healed and threatened to resurrect and humiliate him.
• Black Zetsu learned how powerful Eiji had become and chose to unleash Hashirama’s full strength, believing he could regain control afterward.
• Hashirama entered Sage Mode and told Eiji to go all out, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ōnoki, Chiyo, Hanzō, and the other witnesses reacted with fear.

Hashirama entered Sage Mode and attacked Eiji with powerful Wood Release techniques, but Eiji repeatedly countered them. As Eiji struggled to find a way to defeat Hashirama and Tobirama’s Impure World Reincarnation, he resolved to risk everything and continued fighting.

• Dodai explained to the Raikage that Hashirama’s Sage Mode greatly enhanced his abilities.
• Hashirama attacked Eiji with a Wood Dragon, then used Deep Forest Bloom and flowering trees that released paralyzing pollen, but Eiji evaded the attacks and remained unaffected by the pollen.
• Eiji used Azure to destroy Hashirama’s vines and flowers, then fired Maximum Output Blue at him, but Hashirama blocked it with the Hōbi Technique.
• Tobirama warned Eiji that Hashirama’s Sage Mode made his Wood Release tougher and that Impure World Reincarnation gave him an advantage in a prolonged fight.
• Eiji considered his lack of Yin-Yang Release and the danger of Black Zetsu undoing a seal, then decided he could not simply retreat.
• Hashirama used the Hotei Technique to surround Eiji with giant wooden hands, and Eiji coated his extended Kusanagi Sword in Azure and cut them all down.

Eiji Ryuuzaki fought Hashirama Senju while searching for a way to solve the problem of Black Zetsu’s control. As Eiji’s strength began to fail, Black Zetsu prepared a powerful finishing move and Hashirama raised a giant wooden golem.

• Eiji Ryuuzaki blasted through three Rashomon gates with Maximum Output Blue, and Hashirama Senju escaped the attack.
• Eiji wondered how an Impure World Reincarnation body could use the Summoning Technique and began to see a possible clue to solving the problem.
• Jiraiya freed Gamabunta from the Wood Release, but falling torii gates pinned Gamabunta and Manda until both summons disappeared.
• Black Zetsu decided to use his strongest killing move against Eiji Ryuuzaki, despite shortening the time he could control Hashirama Senju.
• Hashirama Senju summoned a giant wooden golem as Tobirama joined him, and Eiji admitted he could barely keep fighting.

Eiji considered using Hollow Purple against Hashirama and Tobirama, but Hashirama suddenly summoned the colossal True Several Thousand Hands. The Ninja watching the battle lost hope as the enormous Buddha emerged from the collapsing cliff.

• Eiji realized that Hashirama’s regenerated body and Wood Release made continuing the fight pointless without an effective countermeasure.
• Ōnoki, Chiyo, Pakura, and Tsunade reacted to Eiji’s struggle, while Danzo declared that Impure World Reincarnation made Hashirama impossible to defeat.
• Hashirama and Tobirama urged Eiji not to give up, and Eiji regained his composure and decided to try Hollow Purple.
• Hashirama’s body began trembling, and he warned Eiji to hold on as his hands clapped together against his will.
• Hashirama unleashed Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, and the colossal Buddha burst through the cliff.
• The Ninja watching the battle were overwhelmed by the giant statue, and Ōnoki recognized it as the Buddha that had ended the Warring States Period.

Ryuuzaki Eiji faced Hashirama’s Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands and was buried beneath a devastating barrage of fists. The onlookers believed he had been killed, while Orochimaru suspected Eiji had a reason for refusing to flee.

• Tsunade, Hanzō, and the Raikage watched the battle falter as Danzo celebrated Eiji’s impending defeat.
• Tobirama warned Eiji to run and endure until he could find a way to stop Hashirama, but Eiji refused to retreat.
• Hashirama’s countless fists struck Eiji, triggering a massive explosion that blasted the surrounding forest with a powerful shockwave.
• Tsunade, Ōnoki, and Pakura feared Eiji had died, while Orochimaru believed he would not die so easily.
• Tobirama gave up hope of finding Eiji, and Hashirama mourned him as Danzo’s captive.

Ryuuzaki Eiji survived Hashirama and Tobirama’s attack and launched Hollow Purple at them, destroying much of the giant Buddha statue. Tobirama escaped unharmed while Hashirama was badly damaged, leaving Eiji ready to put his plan into action.

• Shimura Danzō prepared to seize the Eyes of the Blue Sky, but Ryuuzaki Eiji emerged from the dust unharmed.
• Orochimaru concluded that Eiji’s defense worked by a rule that prevented hostile attacks from reaching him, while Tobirama suspected it involved space-type Ninjutsu.
• Eiji combined the azure and crimson spheres and fired Hollow Purple at Hashirama and Tobirama.
• Hollow Purple annihilated the upper part of the Buddha statue, but Tobirama escaped with Flying Thunder God and Hashirama was caught in the blast.
• Eiji saw Hashirama’s damaged body repairing itself more slowly and decided the prerequisite for his plan was in place.

Eiji exhausted himself fighting Hashirama and Tobirama while secretly arranging a trap with Azure and Maximum Output Blue. The chapter ended as the two techniques converged near the Buddha statue, leaving the outcome—and Eiji’s fate—uncertain.

• Hashirama praised Eiji’s resolve, and Tobirama loudly suggested that Eiji become the Fourth Hokage after Hiruzen stepped down, angering Danzo.
• Eiji’s Hollow Purple damaged the Buddha statue and slowed Hashirama’s regeneration, but left Eiji severely exhausted.
• Danzo urged Hashirama and Tobirama to wear Eiji down, while Black Zetsu intensified his control over them.
• Eiji continued fighting until he threw Azure past Tobirama, then used Hashirama’s body to force Tobirama to catch him.
• Eiji launched Maximum Output Blue upward as the earlier Azure looped around the Buddha statue and flew back toward it.
• Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya realized the techniques were about to collide directly and feared the resulting explosion.

Ryuuzaki Eiji combined Azure and Maximum Output Blue to unleash Hollow Purple, destroying the battlefield and surviving the blast himself. As Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju began regenerating through Impure World Reincarnation, Eiji searched the crater and insisted he needed more time.

• Ryuuzaki Eiji used the final incantation to combine Azure and Maximum Output Blue, unleashing Hollow Purple and engulfing Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and the Wood Release statue.
• The explosion left a vast crater, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and shinobi from other villages rushed to investigate as the forest lost its vitality.
• Tsunade found Ryuuzaki Eiji alive in the crater with torn clothes and burn marks, which healed as he searched the ground.
• The shinobi saw Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju regenerating from dust through Impure World Reincarnation, prompting many to flee while Danzo and Black Zetsu believed Eiji could not stop them.
• Eiji examined the two piles of dust as Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju, and Hiruzen Sarutobi urged him to escape or seal them, but Eiji asked for a little more time.

Eiji used Reverse Cursed Technique to restore Hashirama and Tobirama’s bodies, reasoning that their souls and their original DNA made those bodies their true forms. Their recovery severed Black Zetsu’s control, leaving him unable to undo or recast the Impure World Reincarnation.

• Eiji examined Hashirama and Tobirama and theorized that the Living Sacrifice’s DNA had merged with their bodies while their own souls remained intact.
• Eiji established a Binding Vow that doubled his healing speed in exchange for giving up Kikufuku for fifty years, then applied Reverse Cursed Technique to both brothers.
• Hashirama and Tobirama’s bones, organs, and flesh regenerated, and Eiji confirmed his theory as Orochimaru and Tsunade watched.
• Hashirama and Tobirama stood up looking alive, alarming Danzo, who realized Eiji had used the Eyes of the Blue Sky to restore them.
• Black Zetsu learned from White Zetsu that his connection to the brothers had been severed and angrily blamed Eiji.

Eiji stopped Danzo from reaching his eyes as Danzo crumbled away, then gained the ability to activate Black Flash. With the crisis over, Hashirama faced the other villages’ leaders, whose fear of Konoha’s strength had grown after witnessing the battle.

• Eiji seized Danzo, but Danzo began to crumble as the Impure World Reincarnation was undone and failed to reach Eiji’s eyes.
• Danzo defended his ambition to become Hokage, and Eiji mocked him as weak before Danzo fell apart into dust.
• Eiji received a system notification that his Character Fusion Rate had risen to 76% and unlocked Black Flash, which he could now activate once a day.
• Ninja from the various Shinobi Villages returned to the crater, and Ōnoki, the Raikage, and Pakura considered what they had witnessed.
• Hashirama asked the leaders of the villages to do a favor for the deceased man, and they felt unable to refuse as they recognized Konoha’s renewed dominance.

After the war ended, Konoha negotiated reparations and divided the captured White Zetsu among the villages before its forces began returning home. Hashirama and Tobirama arrived in a jubilant Konoha, where Eiji was widely regarded as the likely Fourth Hokage.

• Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen negotiated reparations and divided the White Zetsu among Konoha and the other villages.
• Hanzō allowed Konoha Ninja to spend money near Amegakure, and Jiraiya stayed behind after taking three homeless children as his disciples.
• Konoha celebrated the victory as returning Ninja spread stories of Eiji's battle against the reanimated Hashirama and Tobirama under Danzo's control.
• Hashirama and Tobirama returned to Konoha with the victorious main force, medical supplies, and sealed White Zetsu.
• Konoha's residents crowded around the returning leaders, while many young people looked to Eiji as the likely Fourth Hokage.

Hashirama reunited with Mito at the Senju Ancestral Home and reflected on his past mistakes as he spent time with her and Eiji. Later, Hashirama, Tsunade, and Eiji visited a Konoha casino, where Tsunade lost heavily and took her frustration out on Eiji.

• Tsunade, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Eiji returned to the Senju Ancestral Home, where Nawaki hurried to tell Mito they had arrived.
• Hashirama reunited with Mito, apologized for leaving her alone, and shared a meal prepared by Eiji.
• Hashirama watched the sunset with Mito and worried that his actions had nearly caused a catastrophe, while Mito reassured him that Eiji could help bring peace.
• Eiji promised to bring Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito back in the future to see a peaceful world.
• Hashirama, Tsunade, and Eiji visited a Konoha casino, where Tsunade lost more than five million and blamed Hashirama.
• Eiji explained how he could predict slot-machine results and read dice, so Tsunade grabbed him and roughed him up.

Tobirama approved of Eiji’s influence on the Uchiha while Kushina heard rumors of Eiji’s battle and worried about his safety. Eiji arrived at the bride-training camp to collect Kushina, who had passed her assessment, and rescued him from a crowd of noble girls eager to meet him.

• Tobirama discussed the Uchiha with Hiruzen Sarutobi and was pleased that Eiji had helped settle the clan.
• Kushina learned of Eiji’s battle and complained that he had broken his promise not to take risks.
• The Princesses of the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning crowded Kushina in the dining hall to ask her to introduce them to Eiji.
• Eiji arrived at the Land of Fire dining hall to pick up Kushina, but the girls swarmed him.
• Kushina smashed a crater into the floor to make the girls back away, then pulled Eiji free.
• Kushina told Eiji and Sayuri that she had passed her assessment and become a qualified bride-to-be.

Kushina celebrated her victory with Eiji while other princesses tried to approach him, and Madara decided to leave Eiji alone and target the Uchiha for his plans. As Hashirama and Tobirama helped Konoha recover, Eiji learned that other villages were experimenting with White Zetsu Cells, a dangerous effort likely to kill them without Uchiha blood.

• The Princess of the Land of Lightning challenged Eiji to fight, while the Princess of the Land of Earth asked him for an autograph and Shinka Shinazugawa apologized before fleeing.
• Black Zetsu warned Madara that Eiji’s strength and influence over the Uchiha threatened their plans, but Madara chose to leave Eiji alone and seek an easily influenced Uchiha.
• Hashirama repaired the damage in Konoha Forest, while Tobirama and Orochimaru studied White Zetsu and Tobirama searched unsuccessfully for the masked man.
• Eiji used Azure to gather intelligence and learned that major Shinobi Villages were transplanting White Zetsu Cells to study their power.
• Eiji concluded that people without Uchiha blood would die from the White Zetsu Cell transplants.

Hashirama and Tobirama prepared to leave the living world by entering a sealed slumber, while they advised Eiji about protecting Konoha and its people. Eiji hid their coffins beneath the Senju Ancestral Home, leaving the brothers' future return possible if the Village faced a crisis.

• Hashirama and Tobirama said they would not return to the Pure Land, and Tobirama warned Eiji about the white creature, the Uchiha, the Village's powerful clans, and the risks of the Nine-Tails.
• Tobirama privately told Eiji he could entrust Tsunade to his care if Eiji gained Kushina's consent, embarrassing Tsunade.
• Hashirama and Tobirama began the sealing ritual, closing their eyes as their souls remained in their bodies to sleep without aging or decaying.
• Mito and Kushina wrapped Hashirama and Tobirama in sealing cloth, placed them in coffins, and reinforced the seals with talismans.
• Eiji used Azure to move the coffins into the basement of the Senju Ancestral Home and concealed them beneath clutter.

Eiji and Tsunade reached the Slug Sage in Shikkotsu Forest so Eiji could learn its Sage Mode. The Slug Sage explained the dangerous training method and warned that losing the balance of energies would turn him into a slug and assimilate him into her body.

• Tsunade led Eiji through Shikkotsu Forest, where corrosive liquid dissolved a beetle before it could reach him.
• Tsunade explained that she had ended up in Shikkotsu Forest after a fight with Jiraiya and that Kushina had refused to come because she hated slugs.
• As they traveled, Tsunade privately worried about her growing feelings for Eiji and wondered whether he understood what Second Grandpa had told him.
• Tsunade called for the Slug Sage, who emerged from the acid pond and sensed the power in Eiji's eyes.
• The Slug Sage instructed Eiji to coat himself in acid and balance Natural Energy, Mental Energy, and Physical Energy equally, warning that failure could turn him into a slug and make him part of her body.

Eiji mastered Sage Mode and expanded his long-distance movement as he and Kushina grew to twelve and enjoyed a peaceful life in Konoha. When Kushina worried that Mito’s failing health meant she would soon become the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki and be confined by the sealing barrier, Eiji considered whether she might instead coexist peacefully with the Nine-Tails.

• Eiji used the acid pool and Reverse Cursed Technique to absorb natural energy, entered Sage Mode, and obtained the secret map to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Eiji’s Sage Mode training advanced until he could enter the state without acid, improving his physical abilities and perception.
• By the time Eiji and Kushina were twelve, Konoha had widely adopted electricity and new household technologies, and Eiji and Kushina graduated from the Ninja Academy.
• Kushina bought storybooks and walked with Eiji, telling him she wanted to enjoy more time with him outside the barrier before she became the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki.
• Kushina explained that Mito’s health was failing and that the ritual would likely happen soon, while Eiji thought Kushina might be able to get along with the Nine-Tails instead.

Eiji and Kushina watched a Young Ninjutsu Tournament, where Eiji promised to teach the winner a suitable technique. Kakashi won the contest over Obito, and Eiji decided to ask Fugaku to pay more attention to the overlooked boy.

• Kushina took Eiji to a village tournament, where the children eagerly crowded around them.
• Eiji promised to teach the winner a Ninjutsu suited to them, then slipped away as the children debated what they wanted to learn.
• Obito performed the Great Fireball Technique and briefly took first place, earning praise from Rin.
• Kakashi performed the Earth Wave Technique, impressed the crowd, and won the tournament prize of a Kunai.
• Eiji felt sorry for Obito and resolved to ask Fugaku to look after him more closely.

Eiji demonstrated and agreed to teach Kakashi the dangerous Lightning Release technique Chidori after Kakashi won the children’s contest. As the day ended, Kakashi reaffirmed his ambition to follow Eiji’s example and protect his companions.

• Eiji showed Kakashi how Chidori shattered a large rock and agreed to teach him the technique, while Kushina warned that it was dangerous.
• An Anbu guard reported that the rare metallic minerals Eiji had requested were purchased, and Eiji told him to spend more time with his family and have the guards stop lurking nearby.
• Kushina played with the children and humorously reenacted Eiji’s famous words before the children’s families arrived.
• Sakumo met Eiji and Kushina, saying Kakashi admired Eiji but might struggle to make friends.
• Kakashi declared that protecting his companions was his way and vowed to become a Ninja as great as Eiji.

Mito Uzumaki transferred the Nine-Tails to Kushina, who endured its rage and sealed it with the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Mito refused Eiji’s offer to prolong her life and, nearing death, said she was going to Hashirama.

• Mito Uzumaki gathered Konoha’s leaders and prepared to pass the Nine-Tails to Kushina.
• Nawaki asked Eiji to revive Mito, but Tsunade told him to respect their grandmother’s wishes.
• Mito directed the Nine-Tails’ Chakra into Kushina, who resisted its influence and bound it with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Mito completed Kushina’s seal and collapsed as Biwako caught her.
• Eiji offered to heal Mito, but she refused, apologized to Kushina, and said she was going to Hashirama Senju.

A month after Mito's death, Eiji took Kushina beyond the barrier to begin helping her coexist with the Nine-Tails. As Kushina's seal weakened and the beast tried to persuade her to release it, Eiji appeared in her mental space and confronted the Nine-Tails.

• Kushina worried that becoming a Jinchūriki would change her relationship with Eiji, and Eiji told her the seal had stabilized enough to begin the next step of his plan.
• Eiji took Kushina outside the barrier despite the ANBU guards' objections and brought her to Konoha Forest.
• Outside the barrier, the seal began to weaken, and the Nine-Tails' chakra surfaced as he urged Kushina to release him.
• Kushina resisted the Nine-Tails as the Adamantine Sealing Chains trembled and Mito's remaining chakra dwindled.
• Eiji appeared in Kushina's mental space, shielded her from the Nine-Tails' attack, and taunted him for showing fear.

Eiji confronted the Nine-Tails in Kushina’s mental world and negotiated a partnership, offering to let it live more freely if it helped Kushina master its power. The Nine-Tails reluctantly accepted the possibility of cooperating, while Eiji also asked it to invite the other Tailed Beasts to settle in Konoha.

• Eiji struck the Nine-Tails with Maximum Output Blue, then redirected its Tailed Beast Bomb into its own mouth and blew apart its head.
• Eiji explained that Kushina’s belief let him use his abilities in her mental world and proposed that the Nine-Tails help Kushina master its power in exchange for greater freedom.
• Eiji told the Nine-Tails that the Sage of Six Paths had died, prompting it to question what had become of their purpose of living peacefully with humans.
• Eiji promised to work with Kushina to create a better living environment for the Tailed Beasts, and Kushina loosened the Nine-Tails’ seal.
• Eiji asked the Nine-Tails to invite the other Tailed Beasts to settle in Konoha and to help Kushina master its power.