Chapter Summaries

Aokiji trained to compress Chakra, then spent time with Tsunade and told her he planned to develop an S-rank Ice Release Ninjutsu called Aurora Goddess's Forgiveness. Seeing the Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead gave him inspiration for how to develop the technique.

• Aokiji compressed an Ice Wheel Orb and asked the Five-Tails for Chakra, but it refused, so he considered using Military Ration Pills to replenish his Chakra.
• Tsunade visited Aokiji, and the two teased each other before tickling escalated into Aokiji touching her chest and being scolded.
• Aokiji told Tsunade he had been thinking about asking her to make Military Ration Pills, and she tickled him for treating her like a tool.
• Aokiji revealed that he wanted to create an S-rank finishing move named Ice Release: Aurora Goddess's Forgiveness, though he had only chosen the name.
• Aokiji noticed the Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead and gained inspiration for developing the Ninjutsu.

Aokiji asked Tsunade to teach him the Yin Seal, but learned that only women could practice it because its stored Chakra was kept in the uterus. The explanation left him questioning why the seal appeared on Tsunade’s forehead instead of her abdomen.

• Aokiji asked Tsunade to teach him the Yin Seal, and she startled him by pretending he would have to castrate himself before revealing that only women could learn it.
• Tsunade reminded Aokiji that someone in Rōran had previously told him the Yin Seal was women-only, and he gave up on learning it because it took years to master.
• Aokiji flirted with Tsunade while she comforted him, so she grabbed his head and threatened to crush it if he acted improperly again.
• Tsunade quizzed Aokiji on the Three Channels and Seven Chakras, then explained that men and women differed in the Root Chakra area.
• Tsunade told Aokiji that Yin Seal Chakra was stored in the uterus, and she slapped his hand away when he touched her stomach to investigate.
• Aokiji questioned why Tsunade’s Yin Seal appeared on her forehead if its Chakra was stored in her uterus.

Aokiji and Tsunade discussed her Yin Seal and exchanged affectionate promises before their moment was interrupted by the Five-Tails inside him. Aokiji brought Tsunade into his inner world to introduce her to the beast, where she found herself facing its enormous form.

• Aokiji asked Tsunade about her Yin Seal and suggested she replenish his Chakra when he needed it.
• Aokiji and Tsunade confessed their concern for each other, and Tsunade knocked him down while pouncing on him for a kiss.
• Tsunade treated Aokiji's head injury with the Mystical Palm Technique, and they promised to look out for each other in battle.
• The Five-Tails interrupted their affectionate moment, and Aokiji argued with it before deciding to introduce it to Tsunade.
• Aokiji linked his fist and Chakra with Tsunade's and guided her into his inner world, where she saw the enormous Five-Tails.

Aokiji brought Tsunade into his spiritual world to meet Five-Tails and explained that he had deliberately released it after it destroyed the village. Tsunade struggled to understand his choices, and Five-Tails ended the encounter by revealing it had witnessed her intimate moments with Aokiji.

• Aokiji reassured Tsunade in his spiritual world and introduced her to the five-tailed beast inside him.
• Aokiji explained that Five-Tails could take control of him if it wished, and Five-Tails revealed that Aokiji had released it a few days after it destroyed the village.
• Aokiji told Tsunade that he had let Five-Tails out to earn its friendship and said Grandma Mito already knew about it.
• Aokiji and Five-Tails bickered about their relationship, leaving Tsunade bewildered by Aokiji's casual attitude toward the beast.
• Tsunade tried to introduce herself to Five-Tails, but it interrupted and said it knew her name from witnessing her intimate moments with Aokiji.

Aokiji introduced Tsunade to Five-Tails, whose real name was Kokuō, and explained how his relationship with the beast differed from Mito’s with Nine-Tails. After teasing and kissing Tsunade, he asked whether she knew a ninjutsu that could absorb chakra.

• Tsunade admitted she still resented Five-Tails for harming Konoha, but said she was willing to trust Aokiji and reconsider her prejudices.
• Five-Tails gave Tsunade its name, Kokuō, before Aokiji took her out of the mental world.
• Aokiji told Tsunade that Mito’s Nine-Tails hated her and humanity, and explained that he was a Perfect Jinchuriki because Five-Tails willingly shared its power with him.
• Aokiji teased and kissed Tsunade, then asked whether she knew a ninjutsu that could absorb chakra.

Aokiji sought a Ninjutsu that could absorb Chakra as a basis for developing Ice Release: Aurora Goddess's Forgiveness, while Tsunade suggested he use a Tailed Beast Ball instead. Tsunade recalled seeing an absorption technique while learning from her grandmother, but could only remember that its name included “Reaper” and that it had a troublesome restriction.

• Aokiji explained that developing Ice Release: Aurora Goddess's Forgiveness required him to absorb cold air, and Tsunade suggested a Tailed Beast Ball as an easier alternative.
• Aokiji rejected relying on a Tailed Beast Ball and said he wanted to develop Ice Release using the Five-Tails' power as a foundation.
• Aokiji asked Tsunade to think of a Ninjutsu that could absorb Chakra, and she recalled seeing one while learning from her grandmother.
• Tsunade could only remember that the technique's name sounded like “Reaper,” so she offered to ask her grandmother about it and whether she could teach it to Aokiji.
• Tsunade remembered that the technique had a troublesome restriction, which had kept her from learning it.

Aokiji asked Tsunade to help him develop Chakra compression for Ice Release: Aurora Goddess's Forgiveness, but his training request turned into a proposal that she happily accepted. They then began training, and Aokiji showed Tsunade his unfinished Eight-Part Ice Wheel, which he hoped to form by compressing an Ice Wheel Orb.

• Tsunade said she had forgotten the restrictions for the technique Aokiji wanted and agreed to seek the ninjutsu from Grandma later.
• Aokiji asked Tsunade to help him train Chakra compression, but she demanded an apology for his habit of taking advantage of her.
• Aokiji knelt, made Tsunade an ice ring, and asked her to accept his apology; Tsunade said yes, and he put the ring on her finger.
• Tsunade kissed Aokiji on the cheek, while the Tailed Beast inside its host silently endured their affection.
• Tsunade asked what shape Aokiji wanted to compress Chakra into, and he showed her an Ice Wheel Orb and an unfinished Eight-Part Ice Wheel.

Aokiji learned that Konoha’s secret Wood Release experiment had produced several Senju Clan members able to use Wood Release, and Tsunade was considering undergoing it herself. He tried to stop her, fearing the experiment would endanger her, while suspecting its apparent successes would develop serious problems.

• Aokiji explained how he combined Ice Release with wind-nature Chakra to strengthen his Eight-Part Ice Wheel, and Tsunade envied his Kekkei Genkai.
• Tsunade told Aokiji that she might soon use Wood Release and revealed that Konoha had been conducting a secret experiment to recreate it.
• Tsunade explained that the Second Hokage had proposed the experiment, that many people had died, and that Mito had reluctantly agreed to it for the village’s stability.
• Tsunade revealed that several Senju Clan members could already use Wood Release and admitted she was considering undergoing the experiment herself.
• Aokiji urgently warned Tsunade against participating, and he doubted that the experiment’s apparent successes were safe or lasting.

Aokiji asked Tsunade to consult him before making any decisions about Wood Release, then began learning Water Release techniques to train Chakra compression. The chapter ended with Senju Clan members gathering to discuss Tsunade and an Uchiha Clan Jinchuriki.

• Aokiji urged Tsunade to discuss any plans involving Wood Release with him beforehand, and Tsunade asked him to do the same.
• Tsunade explained that she could only support the Wood Release experiment by providing medical care and reducing casualties.
• Tsunade taught Aokiji that Chakra compression mattered for Water Release and demonstrated Water Release: Heavenly Weeping and Water Release: Severing Wave.
• Aokiji resisted using his Sharingan to copy the hand signs and tried to learn the techniques the traditional way.
• Aokiji and Tsunade turned their practice into a contest over who could spit farther.
• The Senju Clan gathered in its ancestral hall, where a member raised the matter of Hashirama's granddaughter and an Uchiha Clan Jinchuriki.

The Senju elders debated Tsunade’s relationship with Uchiha Aokiji, and resentment toward the Uchiha Clan drove most of them to oppose it. They left the meeting resolved that the relationship could not continue, despite Lady Mito’s apparently open attitude.

• The man on the steps asked the Senju elders for their opinions, and Momoka said Aokiji would have to prove himself because Tsunade was Hashirama’s only granddaughter.
• A radical elder condemned the relationship, citing the Senju Clan’s history with the Uchiha and accusing Aokiji of possibly deceiving Tsunade.
• The elders speculated that Aokiji’s relationship with Tsunade might be an Uchiha conspiracy to gain influence and the Hokage position.
• Momoka asked what Lady Mito thought, and the man said she seemed open to the relationship.
• The elders recalled Uchiha Madara’s attack on Konoha and accused the Uchiha Clan of further offenses, then agreed that Tsunade and Aokiji’s relationship could not continue.

The Senju Clan chose candidates to replace Aokiji as Tsunade’s protector, while Tsunade and Aokiji spent the day training and sharing a meal. Fugaku then summoned Aokiji to meet the Uchiha Clan Leader, and Tsunade decided to return to her clan and declare her position.

• The Senju Clan decided to separate Tsunade and Aokiji by assigning Tsunade a stronger protector, and selected Itama and Asakura as candidates to confront Aokiji.
• Tsunade and Aokiji stopped training and went to eat, trading jokes with Jiraiya before heading into a hotpot restaurant together.
• Restaurant patrons gossiped about Tsunade dating and living with Aokiji, and Tsunade comforted him when he overheard them.
• Aokiji teased Tsunade over their meal, then Fugaku arrived and told him the Uchiha Clan Leader wanted to speak with him.
• After Aokiji left with Fugaku, Tsunade decided to return to her clan and make her position clear.

Aokiji faced the Uchiha Clan head over his relationship with Tsunade and learned that the clan supported them. He refused the head’s suggestions to marry or have a child soon, choosing to wait until the danger posed by Uchiha Madara had passed.

• Aokiji entered the Naka Shrine and faced the Uchiha Clan head’s questions about pursuing Tsunade, the First Hokage’s granddaughter.
• Aokiji assumed the Uchiha Clan opposed the relationship and challenged them to settle the matter with their fists.
• The Uchiha Clan head clarified that the clan approved of Aokiji and Tsunade’s relationship, while warning that the Senju might not.
• The Uchiha Clan head urged Aokiji to marry Tsunade or have a child soon to secure the relationship, but Aokiji refused.
• Aokiji explained that he would wait because he feared Uchiha Madara could exploit a pregnancy or childbirth, and the Clan head agreed to support his decision.

Aokiji trained in Water Release before reuniting with Tsunade, and their teasing turned into an argument about whether they should have children. He admitted he feared sharing Tsunade’s love, then remembered Uchiha Madara might be plotting to kill her, leaving him worried about what he might become if he failed to protect her.

• Aokiji practiced Water Release: Severing Wave and used Water Release: Heavenly Weeping to counter Tsunade’s surprise attack.
• Tsunade told Aokiji that others did not seem to like him, but he said he did not need their approval and would fight them if necessary.
• Aokiji and Tsunade argued over having children, and Aokiji confessed he feared losing Tsunade’s attention to a son.
• Tsunade insisted they would have children, while Aokiji teased her about raising seven or eight of them.
• Aokiji remembered that Uchiha Madara might be plotting to kill Tsunade and feared what he might become if he failed to protect her.

Aokiji challenged Asakura for the right to guard Tsunade and fought him in Konoha’s arena. Aokiji struck Asakura through the smoke and sent him crashing into a wall, leaving the match’s outcome unclear.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Aokiji that Tsunade needed a capable guard, and Aokiji proposed a fight against the Senju Clan’s candidate to decide who would serve.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed, and Aokiji received word that the match would take place the following day.
• Aokiji arrived at the arena and identified his opponent as Asakura, then provoked him before opening the fight with a Kunai.
• Asakura used Monster Strength and Water Release against Aokiji, while Aokiji dodged his attacks and countered with Fire Release.
• Aokiji circled behind Asakura through the smoke and punched him in the face, sending him crashing into the arena wall.

Aokiji used Boil Release and a clever opening to defeat Asakura’s first attack, while the Uchiha Clan Leader considered him a future clan leader despite his lack of a Sharingan. Asakura challenged him again, and Aokiji prepared to face his Water Release while holding back his Ice Release.

• Asakura emerged from the damaged wall after Aokiji’s strike, and the Uchiha Clan Leader explained that Aokiji had used Boil Release’s Steam Armor and water vapor from his Great Fireball Jutsu to conceal his attack.
• The Uchiha Clan Leader hinted that Aokiji would succeed him, while a brainwashed Uchiha spy watched Aokiji closely.
• Asakura identified Aokiji’s Boil Release and challenged him to use Ice Release, but Aokiji insulted him and said he did not need it to defeat trash like him.
• Asakura launched Water Release: Water Shockwave, and Aokiji chose to conserve Chakra because he suspected Asakura could use Wood Release.

Aokiji used Boil Release to match and overpower Asakura’s Monster Strength, shocking the Senju Clan spectators. Momoka attributed Aokiji’s strength to the Five-Tails, while Tsunade admitted she had taught him some of the clan’s Water Release ninjutsu.

• Aokiji summoned Fat Tiger the Orca to shield himself from Asakura’s Water Release, then was dragged underwater by a Water Clone.
• Aokiji broke free and met Asakura’s Monster Strength punch with Boil Release: Peerless Super Strength.
• Aokiji won the clash and punched Asakura in the face, leaving the Senju Clan members stunned.
• The Senju Clan members suspected Tsunade had taught Aokiji Monster Strength, but she denied it.
• Momoka explained that Aokiji had likely used the Five-Tails’ Boil Release, and Tsunade revealed that she had taught him some of the clan’s Water Release ninjutsu.

Aokiji fought Asakura, who revealed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, and froze its vines with Ice Release: Ice Age. The battle left Aokiji triumphant before the stands, while Tsunade defended his intentions to her skeptical relatives.

• Aokiji used Fire Release against Asakura, who countered with Water Release and drove him into a wall with a water lance.
• Asakura revealed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, astonishing the Uchiha Clan members in the stands.
• Aokiji activated Sage Mode 2 and used Ice Release: Ice Age to freeze Asakura's vines across the arena.
• Fugaku vowed to catch up to Aokiji, while Aokiji provoked the Senju Clan members and looked toward Tsunade.
• Tsunade told her relatives that Aokiji did not want to become Hokage, but they accused him of pursuing power and questioned what he really craved.

Aokiji’s battle with Asakura ended when the experimental Wood Release overwhelmed Asakura’s body, and Tsunade later confirmed that he and the other test subjects had died. Three years later, Kakuzu encountered a masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara and prepared to fight him.

• Asakura summoned a Wood Dragon, and Aokiji answered with an Ice Dragon before the two techniques collided.
• Asakura lost control of his Wood Dragon when the Wood Release experiments caused saplings to grow from his face, and Tsunade’s medical team examined him.
• Tsunade later told Aokiji that Asakura had died and that the remaining Wood Release subjects had also perished, prompting the experiment to be sealed as a forbidden technique.
• A week later, Kakuzu killed a bounty target and wondered whether Aokiji, missing for three years, had died.
• A masked man appeared in Kakuzu’s path and identified himself as Uchiha Madara, so Kakuzu discarded the corpse and took a fighting stance.

Uchiha Madara overwhelmed Kakuzu with superior Fire Release and combat skills, but Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear creatures and tendrils eventually immobilized him. Kakuzu’s attempt to pierce Madara’s heart was stopped by the blue skeletal Susanoo.

• Kakuzu opened the battle with Fire Release, but Madara’s Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon overpowered the flames and forced Kakuzu to dodge.
• Kakuzu released four masked monsters from his body and attacked Madara alongside them, but Madara evaded their coordinated strikes and kicked Kakuzu away.
• Kakuzu used his monsters to distract Madara while Earth Grudge Fear tendrils emerged from underground and bound his foot and body.
• Kakuzu pulled Madara toward him and thrust his hardened hand at Madara’s heart, but a blue skeletal Susanoo blocked the attack.

Kakuzu fought Uchiha Madara, who revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo before Kakuzu devised a plan to attack him from within. Kakuzu pierced Madara’s chest, only to learn he had defeated a Fire Clone, leaving him facing another apparent victory over a clone.

• Kakuzu unleashed four elemental attacks, but Uchiha Madara protected himself with Susanoo and identified his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Kakuzu transformed with Earth Grudge Fear and used an Earth Spider to bind Susanoo with black threads.
• Uchiha Madara countered with Susanoo’s serpent swords and Yasaka Magatama, blasting holes in the Earth Spider.
• Kakuzu used water and mist to confirm Susanoo’s hollow structure, then attacked it from within after the Earth Spider was split apart.
• Kakuzu pierced Uchiha Madara through the chest, but Madara revealed that Kakuzu had defeated his Fire Clone.