Recaps

Hatake Ziyan returned to Konoha, protected the Hatake family and Kushina, and trained a new generation before recruiting Sasori and helping Yahiko’s group grow stronger. The arc ended with Ziyan back in Konoha, as Sakumo described the renewed blame against the Hatake clan and his fear of the village’s leaders.

• Hatake Ziyan stopped the attack on Hatake Sakumo’s reputation, punished Danzo, and told Hiruzen Sarutobi to clear Sakumo’s name.
• Hatake Sakumo explained Ziyan’s history to Kakashi, while Ziyan agreed to protect Kushina and help seal the Nine-Tails after Mito Uzumaki asked him.
• Hatake Ziyan sealed Kurama inside Kushina, and Mito Uzumaki died after asking him to look after her granddaughter.
• Hatake Ziyan trained Kakashi, Kushina, and Nawaki, confronted Danzo over secret experiments and surveillance, and recognized Kushina as a Perfect Jinchuriki.
• After three years of training the children and warning them that the Shinobi World would grow dangerous, Hatake Ziyan left Konoha and recruited Sasori after he killed the Third Kazekage.
• Hatake Ziyan met Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, questioned Yahiko’s plan to unite the Shinobi World, and spent four years training the three.
• Hatake Ziyan returned to Konoha and learned from Hatake Sakumo that Kakashi’s teammates had died on missions and villagers were blaming the Hatake clan.

Hatake Ziyan maneuvered Minato Namikaze toward the Hokage position while reshaping the Uchiha clan’s standing and guiding Konoha’s wartime victories. Minato became the Fourth Hokage, gained the daimyo’s recognition, and began restructuring Konoha’s leadership.

• Hatake Ziyan persuaded Hatake Sakumo to return to the battlefield without earning military merit and revealed his plan to make Minato Hokage.
• Hatake Ziyan recruited Minato for his succession plan, gave him three brocade pouches for his missions, and directed Sakumo, Tsunade, and the Uchiha to support Minato’s rise.
• Hatake Ziyan persuaded Uchiha Fugaku to reform the clan’s Military Police role and cooperate with Sakumo’s forces on the Land of Water front.
• Minato destroyed Kannabi Bridge, helped defeat the Land of Lightning forces, and led Konoha to victory over Sunagakure, while Hatake Ziyan secretly met Madara Uchiha and agreed to work with him.
• Minato and Hatake Sakumo defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Kirigakure accepted a ceasefire that ended the three-year war.
• Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru withdrew as Hokage candidates, and Minato won unanimous support from Konoha’s leaders before the daimyo approved his succession.
• Hatake Ziyan confronted the daimyo and claimed responsibility for Minato’s rise, prompting the daimyo to officially recognize Minato as the Fourth Hokage.
• Minato returned to Konoha and began reorganizing its leadership, naming Hiruzen Sarutobi an elder and assigning Hatake Sakumo to broaden Anbu recruitment as Danzo proposed abolishing the Hokage Advisor Elder position.

Hatake Ziyan helped Minato Namikaze dismantle the elder council, contained the threats surrounding Kushina’s delivery, and began gathering young shinobi to train. He brought Kimimaro and Haku toward Konoha, then sent Kimimaro into a cave to face a mysterious orange-haired boy.

• Minato Namikaze abolished the Hokage Advisor Elder position and established the Konoha Senate after Danzo exposed the elders’ scheme against Hatake Sakumo.
• Minato Namikaze discovered Danzo’s Root experiments and defection, while Hatake Ziyan found Danzo in the Land of Rice Fields and forced him to surrender an intelligence scroll before Sakumo’s team destroyed his abandoned base.
• Hatake Ziyan helped Minato protect Kushina during her delivery, fought Madara Uchiha, and killed the Hiruzen Sarutobi who had abducted Kushina and released her seal.
• Hatake Ziyan secured approval to train nine young shinobi, defeated them in a test, and gave them the Ninja-Adapted Yijin Jing.
• Hatake Ziyan found Kimimaro amid the Kaguya Clan’s conflict with the Water Ninja Village, arranged for ten clan members to be saved, and took Kimimaro away to train him.
• Hatake Ziyan found Haku and helped him through his Ice Release awakening, while Shizuki entrusted Haku to him and stayed behind with Kenji.
• Hatake Ziyan set off with Haku and Kimimaro, teaching them as they traveled, then sent Kimimaro into a cave where an orange-haired boy transformed into a powerful horned monster.

Hatake Ziyan trained new recruits, helped Minato confront the Hidden Cloud Village, and pursued the organization monitoring him. He rescued Konan and intervened in Hanzō’s trap, leaving Hanzō facing him at the ravine.

• Hatake Ziyan brought Jugo, Kimimaro, and Haku to Konoha, where he trained them alongside the other children and awakened Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Hatake Ziyan confronted Minato over his hesitation to protect the recruits, then helped him face Mei Terumi’s demand to take them back.
• Hatake Ziyan learned that the organization tracking him called its leader Hamura, while Hatake Sakumo fled Konoha and was found by Ziyan on the road home.
• Hatake Ziyan warned Minato about Hidden Cloud scouts, and Minato strengthened patrols before confronting the delegation and forcing the Fourth Raikage to accept a costly peace agreement.
• Shisui, Obito, and Kakashi foiled an attempt to abduct Kurama Yakumo, while Hatake Ziyan confronted Yan, who revealed that the organization had planted agents in Konoha.
• Yan warned Hatake Ziyan that Hanzō had attacked Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, so Ziyan traveled to Amegakure and rescued Konan from her cell.
• Hatake Ziyan and Konan watched as Yahiko and Nagato went to negotiate with Hanzō, who used a fake Konan to lure them into a trap.
• Nagato pulled Yahiko and Hanzō across a ravine, where Hanzō took Yahiko hostage and demanded that Nagato kill the Akatsuki members, and Hatake Ziyan appeared behind Hanzō after his allies were killed.