Chapter Summaries

After Konoha’s victory over Sunagakure, Danzo tried to take Minato back to the village for disobeying the Hokage’s orders, but a letter from Hatake Ziyan urged him to let Minato go. Danzo claimed the letter was forged and continued challenging Tsunade and Minato.

• Tsunade and Minato returned to camp after defeating Sunagakure, leaving ninja behind to clear the battlefield.
• Danzo confronted Minato for coming to the Land of Wind instead of returning to Konoha, while Tsunade defended his battlefield actions.
• Minato gave Danzo a note from Ziyan warning him to let Minato proceed to the Land of Water, where the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would infiltrate Konoha’s territory.
• Danzo accused Minato of forging Ziyan’s note and demanded evidence, while Minato insisted Ziyan had personally given it to him.
• Tsunade recognized Ziyan’s handwriting, but Danzo rejected her claim and began arguing that the letter was a forgery.

Danzo tried to persuade Minato Namikaze and Tsunade to keep Hatake Ziyan from learning that he had insulted Ziyan's handwriting, only to discover Ziyan was present and knew about Danzo's Izanagi. Ziyan spared Danzo in exchange for a political reform proposal and made him honor his promise to grant Minato and Tsunade a favor each.

• Danzo offered Minato Namikaze and Tsunade an additional favor if they kept Hatake Ziyan from learning about his comments, and Tsunade explained that Ziyan's handwriting was genuinely poor.
• Hatake Ziyan revealed himself behind Danzo and threatened him with torture, while Danzo panicked and considered escaping with Izanagi.
• Hatake Ziyan warned Danzo that he knew about his Izanagi and the Sharingan taken from Kagami Uchiha, and Danzo gave up and asked for a quick death.
• Hatake Ziyan offered to spare Danzo if he proposed abolishing the Hokage Advisor Elder position and establishing a Konoha Council after Minato took office.
• Hatake Ziyan reminded Danzo of his promised favor, and Danzo agreed to grant one request each to Minato Namikaze and Tsunade.

Hatake Ziyan left Danzo under orders to support Minato’s path to becoming Hokage, and Tsunade sent Minato to join Sakumo. At the Land of Fire–Land of Water border, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Guy stayed behind to let his teammates escape.

• Hatake Ziyan left Danzo, Tsunade, and Minato after making Danzo agree to help Minato become Hokage and disband the Hokage Advisors’ council.
• Danzo promised Tsunade he would tell Hiruzen that Minato had already left for the Land of Water, and Tsunade sent Minato to Sakumo.
• Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
• Juzo Biwa attacked the three children, and Might Guy opened the first four Eight Gates to repel his sword.
• Genma Shiranui and Ebisu fled to seek help while Might Guy stayed behind to hold off the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Might Guy fought Juzo Biwa and escaped his Water Clone trap by opening the Gate of Limit, while Minato Namikaze arrived and killed Juzo. Minato drove the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into retreat, but Suikazan Fuguki's Water Release swept away the Flying Thunder God kunai.

• Juzo Biwa trapped Might Guy in a sphere of water with a Water Clone and tried to cut him down.
• Might Guy opened the Gate of Limit and broke free, while Minato Namikaze struck Juzo Biwa through the heart with a kunai.
• Minato Namikaze ordered Might Guy to rest and faced the remaining six swordsmen.
• Raiga Kurosuki attacked Minato Namikaze, but Minato killed him with a kunai through the heart.
• Minato Namikaze pursued the retreating swordsmen with Flying Thunder God and killed two more.
• Suikazan Fuguki used two Water Release techniques to sweep the Flying Thunder God kunai off the ground.

Minato Namikaze killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, while Hatake Ziyan had secretly killed the other three, prompting Kirigakure to surrender and ending the three-year war. A month later, Hiruzen Sarutobi named Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Minato as candidates for the next Hokage, and Sakumo raised his hand to speak.

• Minato Namikaze returned to camp with the bodies and weapons of four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Hatake Sakumo told him to claim all seven kills because Hatake Ziyan had eliminated the other three.
• Hatake Sakumo sent a surrender letter to the Land of Water camp, and Kirigakure submitted a ceasefire letter and admitted defeat.
• The three-year war ended, and Konoha shinobi returned home while some remained to guard the Land of Fire's borders.
• One month later, Hiruzen Sarutobi convened Konoha's leaders and named Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze as candidates for the next Hokage.
• Hatake Sakumo raised his hand to speak after the gathered leaders accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi's proposed candidates.

Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru withdrew from the Hokage race, leaving Minato as the sole candidate. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s leaders approved Minato’s nomination, and the Land of Fire’s daimyo later confirmed his succession.

• Hatake Sakumo withdrew from the race, citing injuries that made the Hokage’s workload unsuitable for him.
• Orochimaru also withdrew, saying his ninjutsu research kept him from handling Konoha’s affairs.
• Danzo supported Sakumo and Orochimaru’s withdrawals and backed Minato as the sole candidate, while Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to Minato’s candidacy.
• Konoha’s leaders unanimously voted for Minato, and Hiruzen Sarutobi sent a recommendation to the Land of Fire’s daimyo.
• A week later, the daimyo approved Minato Namikaze as the next Hokage and summoned him for an audience after he took office.
• News of Minato’s impending succession spread throughout Konoha.

Minato Namikaze became Konoha’s Fourth Hokage and later traveled with Kushina to the Daimyo’s Mansion to meet the daimyo. Hatake Ziyan arrived there as well, and the daimyo reacted nervously when he heard the news.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Minato Namikaze the Hokage hat, and Minato pledged to protect Konoha as the Fourth Hokage.
• A week later, Minato Namikaze asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to oversee Konoha while he visited the daimyo with Kushina and the Hokage Guard.
• At the Daimyo’s Mansion, the guards allowed Minato inside alone and told Kushina to wait outside.
• Kurama urged Kushina to fight her way in, but Hatake Ziyan appeared and made Kurama vanish.
• Hatake Ziyan asked to see the daimyo, who recognized his name and ordered the guards to let him in.

Hatake Ziyan accompanied Kushina and Minato Namikaze to the daimyo’s residence, where the daimyo questioned Minato’s succession to the Hokage position. Hatake Ziyan claimed responsibility for the Third Hokage’s retirement, and the daimyo confirmed Minato as the Fourth Hokage before Hatake Ziyan left with Kushina.

• Hatake Ziyan and Kushina entered the daimyo’s hall, where Minato Namikaze denied forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to step down.
• Kushina challenged the daimyo for doubting Minato based on an anonymous report, and Minato calmed her down.
• The daimyo demanded evidence, but Hatake Ziyan took his fan and declared that he had personally put Minato in power and forced the Third Hokage to retire.
• The daimyo accepted Hatake Ziyan’s explanation and officially recognized Minato Namikaze as Konoha’s Fourth Hokage.
• Hatake Ziyan left the residence and called for Kushina and Minato to follow.

Hatake Ziyan killed a samurai who challenged him at the Daimyo's Mansion, then explained to Kushina how he and Madara had once forced the daimyo to fund Konoha. The daimyo urged Minato Namikaze to eliminate Hatake Ziyan, but Minato argued that waiting for him to die naturally was safer.

• A samurai drew his sword and charged at Hatake Ziyan, who killed him with a single strike.
• The daimyo ordered his guards and ninja to stand down, and Hatake Ziyan left the mansion with Kushina.
• Hatake Ziyan told Kushina that he and Madara had once attacked the Daimyo's Mansion and forced the daimyo to provide money for Konoha.
• The daimyo recounted Hatake Ziyan and Madara's past actions to Minato Namikaze and asked him to get rid of Hatake Ziyan once he became Hokage.
• Minato Namikaze warned the daimyo that killing Hatake Ziyan risked serious consequences and suggested waiting for him to die of old age.

Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha and began establishing himself as Fourth Hokage, while remaining wary of Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction to his meeting with the daimyo. At his first meeting with Konoha's senior leaders, Danzo proposed abolishing the Hokage Advisor Elder position.

• The daimyo let Minato Namikaze return to Konoha after deciding that Hatake Ziyan was too dangerous to confront without careful planning.
• Minato Namikaze thanked Hatake Ziyan for supporting him, and Hatake Ziyan reminded him to act as Konoha's Hokage rather than worry about what others said.
• Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha with Kushina and Hatake Ziyan, then resumed his duties at the Hokage Office the next morning.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked about Minato Namikaze's audience with the daimyo, and Minato noticed a brief frown when he claimed the daimyo had approved of him.
• Minato Namikaze convened a meeting of Konoha's senior leaders, announced that Hiruzen Sarutobi would become an elder, and assigned Hatake Sakumo to broaden Anbu recruitment.
• Danzo stood and proposed abolishing the Hokage Advisor Elder position, saying it constrained the Hokage's authority.

Danzo proposed abolishing the Hokage Advisor Council and revealed that he and the other advisors had sabotaged Hatake Sakumo to protect Hiruzen Sarutobi’s position. The meeting ended with Danzo and Sakumo supporting the proposal while Hiruzen was left furious and unable to defend himself.

• Danzo argued that the Hokage Advisor Elders held too much power and should give it up to let the Fourth Hokage govern effectively.
• Danzo revealed that the advisors had arranged a mission Sakumo was destined to fail and spread rumors to ruin his reputation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzo, but Danzo rebuked him and said Hiruzen had known about the scheme and failed to stop it.
• Minato Namikaze asked the meeting whether the Hokage Advisor Council should be abolished, and Danzo and Hatake Sakumo both supported the proposal.
• Hiruzen tried to explain himself, but Danzo warned that he knew what Hiruzen had done as Hokage, and Hiruzen grabbed Danzo by the collar before letting go.

Minato Namikaze abolished the Hokage Advisor Elder position and led the higher-ups in establishing a new decision-making body. The meeting ended with the Konoha Senate formed, its first members chosen and the Hokage given veto power.

• Minato Namikaze declared the Hokage Advisor Elder position abolished after most of the higher-ups supported the change.
• Danzo proposed a Decision-Making Council, and Minato Namikaze accepted the idea for the group to discuss.
• Shikaku argued that the council should be small and have the authority to restrain the Hokage.
• Hatake Sakumo proposed a seven-member council, named its prospective representatives, and suggested that the Hokage have veto power.
• The higher-ups refined Hatake Sakumo's proposal, chose a representative from the Aburame Clan, and named the council the Konoha Senate, with each serving Hokage as its first senator.

Minato Namikaze discovered that Danzo had built a powerful Root force and demanded that he hand it over, but Danzo fled Konoha with Root and Shimura Clan elites to the Land of Rice Fields. At a Senate meeting, Minato called for an invasion, and the chapter ended with Tsunade enraged by evidence of Danzo’s experiments on Hashirama Senju’s body.

• After losing power, Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly had loyal Anbu record Minato Namikaze’s actions and learned that Danzo had defected.
• Minato Namikaze took control of the Anbu and discovered that Danzo had secretly built Root into a force of one or two hundred ninja, including thirty or forty Jonin, while conducting experiments with Hashirama Senju’s cells.
• Minato Namikaze summoned Danzo and demanded that he hand over Root, threatening to expose his experiments if he refused.
• Danzo pretended to agree, then secretly led Root and Shimura Clan elites out of Konoha and into the Land of Rice Fields.
• At a Senate meeting, Minato Namikaze proposed sending troops to eliminate Danzo, but Shikaku warned that another war would leave Konoha vulnerable.
• Minato Namikaze shared evidence of Danzo’s deeds, and Tsunade smashed the conference table after learning that Danzo had desecrated her grandfather’s body and conducted inhumane experiments.

Konoha's leaders debated how to deal with Danzo's defection and the danger he posed, while Hatake Ziyan proposed sending an elite squad to monitor him instead of launching a war. He revealed to Tsunade that Tobirama had begun the experiments on Hashirama's cells, leaving her devastated as she walked out.

• Minato Namikaze argued that Danzo's knowledge of Konoha's secrets made him a threat, and Tsunade backed a war against the Land of Fields.
• Hatake Ziyan arrived at the meeting and questioned whether Konoha knew Danzo's location or could prevent him from exposing its secrets.
• Hatake Ziyan proposed sending an elite squad to the Land of Fields to watch Danzo and warn him against betraying Konoha.
• Tsunade demanded Danzo be killed, but Hatake Ziyan told her that Tobirama had started the experiments and that many Senju clansmen had volunteered as test subjects.
• Tsunade rejected the revelation in shock and left the meeting, while Hatake Ziyan resolved to make it up to her later.

Minato assigned Hatake Sakumo, Shisui Uchiha, and Hizashi Hyuga an S-rank mission to capture Danzo in the Land of Rice Fields. Hatake Ziyan confronted Danzo at his new base and ordered him to flee before Sakumo arrived, leaving at least half his men behind.

• Minato named Hatake Sakumo leader of the team sent to capture Danzo, with Shisui Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga as members.
• Hatake Ziyan criticized Minato for trying to take control of Danzo’s Root shinobi without consulting him and told Sakumo to travel openly.
• Hatake Ziyan found Danzo in the Land of Rice Fields, where Danzo was reviewing documents in a building modeled after the Hokage Building.
• Danzo explained that Minato had forced him to defect by threatening to expose damaging information.
• Hatake Ziyan told Danzo to leave before Sakumo’s team arrived and required him to leave at least half his men behind.

Hatake Ziyan recovered Danzo’s intelligence and warned him not to leak information about Konoha, while Sakumo wiped out Danzo’s abandoned base. As Year 49 of Konoha began, Ziyan grew wary of Kushina Uzumaki’s approaching childbirth and asked Minato whether he was prepared.

• Hatake Ziyan forced Danzo to hand over his intelligence scroll and warned him against sharing Konoha’s secrets with other villages.
• After Hatake Ziyan left, Danzo fled with his strongest subordinates, and Sakumo later led Shisui and Hizashi to the abandoned base.
• Sakumo killed every ninja in the village, then returned to Konoha with Shisui and Hizashi to report to Minato Namikaze.
• Hatake Ziyan gave Minato the intelligence scroll and explained that he had left Danzo alive because Konoha had little to fear from its rivals.
• When Year 49 of Konoha arrived, Hatake Ziyan watched for threats ahead of Kushina Uzumaki’s due date and asked Minato about his preparations.

Hatake Ziyan strengthened the plan to protect Kushina during childbirth, then learned that Yahiko had been captured and that several Konoha leaders had received requests to leave the village. Suspecting the requests were a ploy to weaken Kushina’s defenses, he told Minato Namikaze to guard every delivery site while he created the illusion that Konoha’s top fighters had departed.

• Hatake Ziyan convinced Minato Namikaze to make the Senju Clan Compound Kushina’s final delivery site and use decoys at the other locations.
• Hatake Ziyan encountered an Amegakure messenger who said Hanzō had captured Yahiko and demanded Nagato’s eyes in exchange for Yahiko’s life.
• Hatake Ziyan learned that Minato Namikaze had also received requests for Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo to leave Konoha.
• Hatake Ziyan suspected the requests were coordinated to leave Kushina vulnerable and instructed Minato Namikaze to secure all the delivery rooms.
• Hatake Ziyan said his clones and Transformation Technique would fool any observers, then revealed wooden figures emerging from his body.

Hatake Ziyan and Minato Namikaze prepared a trap for the enemy expected to attack during Kushina’s delivery, while Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly aided a Black-Robed Man. When Hatake Ziyan confronted the intruder, the man revealed Mangekyō Sharingan and blamed Ziyan for killing his younger brother.

• Hatake Ziyan proposed sending Wood Clones out with mission scrolls to lure the attackers, and Minato Namikaze sent the others to their assigned posts.
• Minato Namikaze took Kushina to the Senju Clan Compound, where Orochimaru, Hatake Ziyan, and the others hid to guard her delivery.
• A Black-Robed Man met Hiruzen Sarutobi on Hokage Rock, and Hiruzen told him Konoha’s strongest fighters had been sent away.
• The Black-Robed Man revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and headed for the Senju Clan Compound, while Hiruzen went home to prepare for the Nine-Tails’ emergence.
• Hatake Ziyan sensed the intruder approaching and confronted him, then learned the man was an Uchiha who blamed Ziyan for killing his younger brother.

Hatake Ziyan fought an Uchiha who blamed him for his younger brother’s death and claimed to be Madara Uchiha, using a Mangekyō ability that made him immune to physical attacks. Hatake Ziyan trapped him with genjutsu, but Black Zetsu rescued him, leaving Hatake Ziyan to decide the man’s fate.

• The black-robed man confronted Hatake Ziyan, revealed that he was the older brother of the Uchiha Hatake Ziyan had killed, and declared himself Madara Uchiha.
• Hatake Ziyan led the fight away from a populated area to Training Ground Four after discovering his sword attacks passed through the black-robed man.
• The black-robed man claimed his Mangekyō Sharingan made him immune to physical attacks and sent a volley of blades at Hatake Ziyan.
• Hatake Ziyan trapped the black-robed man in the Tree-binding coffin genjutsu and overwhelmed him with his superior mental energy.
• Black Zetsu pulled the unconscious man out of the illusion, and Hatake Ziyan warned that he had no reason to spare someone who hated him.

Hatake Ziyan spared Uchiha Hehong in exchange for his Mangekyō Sharingan, then discovered Kushina had been abducted while he was away. He rescued her and restored her seal, but found that the Hiruzen Sarutobi he killed had actually been White Zetsu.

• Black Zetsu bargained with Hatake Ziyan, who spared Uchiha Hehong in exchange for his metal-controlling Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Hatake Ziyan returned to the Senju Clan Compound and found Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru, and Tsunade unconscious, with Kushina missing.
• Minato Namikaze told Hatake Ziyan that Hiruzen Sarutobi had knocked him and Orochimaru unconscious and taken Kushina.
• Hatake Ziyan tracked Kushina to Back Mountain and killed Hiruzen Sarutobi as he finished releasing her seal.
• Hatake Ziyan restored Kushina's seal, and she woke briefly before falling asleep from exhaustion.
• Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze arrived, and Hatake Ziyan revealed that the dead Hiruzen Sarutobi had turned into White Zetsu.