Recaps

Uchiha Aokiji hid his strength and kept his distance from classmates while pursuing a safer life, but his Summoning Jutsu took him to the Aurora Ice Domain, where he signed a contract and began training. Back in Konoha, his friendship with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru grew, though he admitted that fear of dying—not concern for them—was his main reason for considering medical ninjutsu.

• Aokiji introduced himself at the Academy, concealed his ambitions behind laziness, and secretly trained his Sharingan and Ice Release.
• Aokiji befriended Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru through school, cooking, and training, while continuing to avoid the path of a ninja.
• After graduating, Aokiji refused to become a ninja, but learned the Summoning Jutsu from Jiraiya and used it to reach a frozen world.
• Aokiji met Fox Spirit, Orca Mother, and the Snow Emperor, then agreed to become Penguin Mani’s student and pursue Sage Art in exchange for a ten-million-ryō fee.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen considered steering Aokiji toward medical ninjutsu, while Aokiji began traveling between Konoha and the Aurora Ice Domain to train.
• Aokiji revealed Fox Spirit as his Summoned Beast, and Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru learned that she could speak and had a contract with him.
• Aokiji told his friends that he chose them because they were talented and likely to survive missions, then admitted that he mainly considered medical ninjutsu because he feared dying himself.

Aokiji graduated, joined Konoha’s Medical Team, and began training to develop his Ice Release while Uchiha Madara secretly maneuvered to make him a tool. After Tobirama’s death, political intrigue reshaped Konoha’s leadership and finances, while Aokiji’s ideas about uniting the Uchiha and Senju clans unsettled Madara.

• Aokiji revealed his Sharingan to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, then gained Tsunade’s forgiveness, while Uchiha Madara watched his memories through a black cat.
• Elder Itachi uncovered Aokiji’s Sharingan, arranged his immediate graduation, and permitted him to become a medical ninja after Aokiji swore to obey the clan if his Sharingan awakened.
• Uchiha Madara subdued Elder Itachi, stole the Impure World Reincarnation scroll, and later raided the Yuki Clan’s chamber for Ice Release techniques to use in his plans for Aokiji.
• Aokiji began Medical Ninjutsu training with Biwako and Tsunade, revived a fish, then accidentally killed it by over-healing it before freezing it with Ice Release.
• Uzumaki Mito told Tsunade that Senju Tobirama had died, and Konoha mourned Tobirama and Kagami Uchiha before Sarutobi Hiruzen became the Third Hokage.
• Prince Huang Ren taught Lan Ren that rulers could control ninja and the population through money, war, and political schemes, then planned to strengthen his family’s influence in Konoha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen secured a tenfold increase in Konoha’s funding, while Aokiji advanced in medical training and began learning Hidden Mist Jutsu and Water Release from Elder Itachi.
• Aokiji proposed that Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama could have united their clans through marriage and descendants, making Madara reconsider his plans for Hashirama’s cells.

Aokiji trained, became a Genin, and uncovered Elder Itachi’s knowledge of his Sharingan and plans for the Uchiha Clan. He accepted a secret search for Uchiha Madara’s stolen corpse, then left Konohagakure on a merchant’s job as a blonde girl began traveling with her team.

• Aokiji rejected Elder Itachi’s suggestion that he pursue Tsunade, while Elder Itachi urged him to prove the Uchiha Clan’s worth and learn about Kekkei Tōta.
• Aokiji trained with Jiraiya, revealed his Ice Release to Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and advised Tsunade to develop her Earth and Water affinities.
• After Lan Ren insulted Elder Itachi, the elder’s genjutsu left Lan Ren mentally incapacitated, and Danzo created Root while Hiruzen let him shoulder Konoha’s darker work.
• Aokiji learned the Mystical Palm Technique, declined Biwako’s offer to become her disciple, and received his Genin forehead protector from Tsunade.
• After teams rejected Aokiji, Hiruzen assigned him solo missions for money, and Elder Itachi gave him two secret missions to find Uchiha Madara’s stolen corpse and missing materials.
• Elder Itachi restored Aokiji’s sealed memories, revealed he knew about Aokiji’s Sharingan, and pressed him to become Hokage and seek Madara’s eyes.
• Aokiji agreed to search for Madara’s corpse, received two Ice Release scrolls, and left Konohagakure for a merchant’s C-rank job while a blonde girl set off with her teammates and an escort target.

Aokiji rescued Tsunade from Kirigakure ninja, helped her expose the Pharmaceutical Company’s scheme, and began developing Ice Chains while Tsunade’s feelings for him grew. The arc left Aokiji and Tsunade traveling together on a monster-hunting mission, with Tsunade still keeping her affection unspoken.

• Tsunade uncovered the Pharmaceutical Company’s plot, and Kirigakure ninja captured her before Aokiji tracked her down and fought to rescue her.
• Aokiji defeated the Hidden Mist Jonin after Tsunade helped restore his Chakra, then returned with her to the Land of Commerce and helped expose the company’s crimes and cure the villagers.
• Tsunade returned to Konoha and realized she had fallen for Aokiji, while Aokiji learned from Jiraiya that Tsunade liked someone and feared the complications of her affection.
• Tsunade persuaded Mito to teach her Adamantine Chains and later taught Aokiji the basics of Sealing Jutsu, while both tried to hide their feelings from each other.
• Tsunade rejected Dan Katō and recited a poem about the man she liked in front of Aokiji, then learned his birthday and resolved to prepare him a gift.
• Aokiji developed six Ice Chains, sparred with Uchiha Aka and Fugaku, and heard Elder Itachi assign him to investigate Uchiha Madara’s followers and lost Sharingan.
• Tsunade recruited Aokiji to hunt a monster threatening coastal trade and causing a strange illness, and they set out together after he agreed for the promised reward.
• Aokiji asked Tsunade to gamble with him so they could split his winnings, prompting her to punch him before he caught up and asked why she was angry.