Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya agreed to become the Fifth Hokage after Danzo tried to claim the position for himself. He then joined Tsunade to treat Kakashi and the others, and the group arrived at Sakura’s hospital room.

• Jiraiya told Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo that Tsunade had returned only to visit and treat the injured, and reluctantly offered himself as Hokage.
• Danzo proposed that he temporarily become Hokage, but Jiraiya opposed him and accepted the position, citing his desire to stop running from the village’s burdens.
• Jiraiya met Naruto, who complained that Tsunade had forgotten her promise to treat Kakashi, Sasuke, and Bushy Brows.
• Tsunade agreed to treat them and set out with Young Tsunade, Aokiji, Shizune, Naruto, and Jiraiya.
• The group reached Sakura’s hospital room, where Naruto introduced Tsunade as a powerful medical ninja who could cure Sasuke.

Aokiji watched Young Tsunade treat Sasuke and joined the effort to find a way to save Rock Lee, whose dangerous surgery remained uncertain. After exploring Konoha and befriending Naruto, Aokiji offered to teach him ninjutsu, hoping to study the Rasengan in return.

• Young Tsunade successfully treated Sasuke, who woke and embraced Sakura, while Naruto left in dismay.
• Adult Tsunade judged Rock Lee's surgery to have at most a fifty percent chance of success, and Rock Lee walked away after hearing the risks.
• Adult Tsunade and Young Tsunade began researching a treatment plan for Rock Lee, while Aokiji went to explore Konoha.
• Aokiji met Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru, then asked Naruto to show him around and took him to Ichiraku Ramen.
• After Naruto taught him his elaborate method for eating ramen, Aokiji offered to teach Naruto ninjutsu and planned to learn about the Rasengan.

Aokiji began training Naruto by testing his Chakra Nature, but first intervened when jealous Genin beat Naruto over the Nine-Tails incident. After Naruto showed a wind affinity, Aokiji taught him about nature transformations and decided to ask Rangiku out before returning to his original world.

• Aokiji persuaded Naruto to train and took him to get Chakra Paper from Adult Tsunade.
• Three Genin provoked Naruto over his Chunin Exam success, then blamed him for their parents' deaths and beat him while Naruto refused to fight back.
• Aokiji stopped the Genin with Ice Chains, beat them, and brought Naruto home; Adult Tsunade offered to confront Jiraiya about the attack.
• Aokiji took Naruto to a secluded grove, where Naruto's Chakra Paper split and revealed his Wind Nature affinity.
• Naruto explained that his first two kisses had both been with the same man, and his advice inspired Aokiji to plan to ask Rangiku out.

Aokiji taught Naruto Wind Release and helped him understand and develop the Rasengan while secretly learning its principles. After Sasuke’s defection and the successful treatment of Rock Lee, Aokiji and Young Tsunade prepared to leave the future, and Adult Tsunade offered Young Tsunade her exclusive S-rank Strength of a Hundred Seal.

• Aokiji trained Naruto in Wind Release, then explained chakra nature and form transformation and encouraged him to develop the Rasengan further.
• Adult Tsunade told Aokiji that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage’s son and a Jinchuriki, and Aokiji questioned the village’s treatment of Naruto and the Uchiha massacre.
• Jiraiya became Hokage, and Aokiji helped Naruto study the Rasengan while extracting details about how it worked.
• Adult Tsunade and Young Tsunade cured Rock Lee, Sasuke defected, and Konoha’s pursuit squad returned injured without him.
• Aokiji and Young Tsunade agreed to leave the future, told Adult Tsunade, and learned that she would give Young Tsunade the Strength of a Hundred Seal.

Young Tsunade learned about Adult Tsunade’s Strength of a Hundred Seal and agreed to go on a date with Aokiji after finishing her training. On the morning of their date, Adult Tsunade teased her about whether she planned to kiss him.

• Adult Tsunade demonstrated the Strength of a Hundred Seal, explained that she had no Wood Release, and told Aokiji that the technique was unsuitable for him.
• Young Tsunade teased Aokiji about being unfaithful, made him swear loyalty, and happily accepted his intimate nickname for her.
• Aokiji asked Young Tsunade on a date, and she agreed to go with him after a few days of learning the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
• On the morning of the date, Young Tsunade woke early and admired Adult Tsunade’s figure before Adult Tsunade teased her about kissing Aokiji.

Young Tsunade went on her first date with Aokiji, growing more comfortable with him as they shared breakfast and watched a movie. After she mistook his attempt to remove leaves from her hair for a kiss, she fled, and Aokiji chased after her, deciding to be more direct.

• Adult Tsunade helped Young Tsunade get ready, and Aokiji came to fetch them for their date.
• Aokiji held Young Tsunade's hand, and she grew bolder by linking her arm through his.
• Aokiji and Young Tsunade ate breakfast together, and he reassured her that he liked her unrestrained appetite.
• Aokiji took Young Tsunade to a cinema, where she excitedly watched a movie starring Kazahana Koyuki.
• Aokiji removed leaves and bugs from Young Tsunade's hair, but she mistook his closeness for an attempt to kiss her and ran away.
• Adult Tsunade scolded Aokiji from the bushes, and he chased after Young Tsunade, resolving to act more decisively.

Aokiji and Young Tsunade confessed their feelings, kissed during their date, and returned home, where she remained dazed from their affection. That night, Tsunade knocked on Aokiji’s door.

• Young Tsunade admitted she wanted to kiss Aokiji, and he found her beneath the locust tree and asked to hug her.
• Young Tsunade agreed, and she and Aokiji embraced and shared their first kiss.
• Aokiji and Young Tsunade returned home with ingredients, and Aokiji began preparing dinner.
• Adult Tsunade found Young Tsunade deliriously making kissing sounds and blamed Aokiji for what had happened.
• After dinner, Aokiji settled in for the night, and Tsunade knocked on his door.

Young Tsunade surprised Aokiji with a birthday celebration and an intimate evening together. After they shared cake and took turns resting on each other's laps, Aokiji cleaned her ears, leaving the two of them in a playful, affectionate moment.

• Young Tsunade visited Aokiji at night, changed into a maid outfit, and wished him a happy birthday.
• Aokiji realized Young Tsunade had remembered his birthday and apologized for his selfish thoughts and past teasing.
• Young Tsunade gave Aokiji a small cake and used Sweet Nectar Wind to make it delicious, then they shared it.
• Young Tsunade offered Aokiji a lap pillow, and he rested on her lap before she offered to clean his ears.
• Aokiji took the cotton swab and cleaned Young Tsunade's ears instead, carefully checking that she was comfortable.

Aokiji and the two Tsunades traveled to Rōran, where they killed Scorpion and triggered the anchor point that sent Aokiji and Young Tsunade back. The chapter ended with Tsunade waking alone at an inn and discovering that her reflection had pointed ears and a blue gemstone on her forehead.

• Aokiji said goodbye to Naruto and encouraged him to face reality about Sakura, then discussed finding a match for Jiraiya with the Tsunades.
• Aokiji and the group reached ruined Rōran and found the Dragon Veins seal, marked with the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God formula.
• The group waited at the seal until Scorpion arrived, and Aokiji and his companions killed her to trigger the anchor point.
• Aokiji and Young Tsunade returned in a flash of white light, while Adult Tsunade and Shizune stayed behind.
• Tsunade and Shizune left Rōran, but the Dragon Veins' Chakra soon dwindled and the structure above it collapsed.
• Tsunade woke alone at an inn and saw that her reflection had golden hair, pointed ears, and a blue gemstone on her forehead.

After returning to a changed future, Tsunade discovered that she had gained pointed ears, Wood Release, and a unique Sage Mode, while Konoha’s history and her relationship with Aokiji had also changed. She reunited with Aokiji, then the chapter returned to the Dragon Veins mission, where the team decided to leave the weakened power intact and headed back to Konoha.

• Tsunade noticed her altered appearance and discovered a White Rose Sage Mode and the ability to use Sage Art: Deep Forest Emergence.
• Tsunade reached Konoha, learned the guards considered her Hokage, and encountered an Orochimaru who had never defected.
• Aokiji arrived looking young with white hair and blue eyes, and his Mangekyō Sharingan failed to identify what was wrong with Tsunade before she fainted.
• Tsunade woke with her usual memories and urged Aokiji to kiss her, while the red diamond on her forehead had returned to its former color.
• Aokiji and the others returned from the Dragon Veins mission, explained Scorpion’s disappearance as the Dragon Veins’ doing, and left the weakened Dragon Veins untouched before returning to Konoha.

Tsunade volunteered to treat Jiraiya and Orochimaru with a cell-recreation ninjutsu she had developed, while Aokiji left Konoha to obtain Xu Fu Flowers as additional support. After preparing money and a cover story, Aokiji returned to the Extreme Cold Sanctuary and asked Penguin Mani to teach him Sage Art.

• Chiyo declared that Jiraiya and Orochimaru could not be treated, but Tsunade insisted she could heal them using her cell-recreation ninjutsu.
• Chiyo learned Tsunade had developed the technique herself, recognized her as Senju Hashirama's granddaughter, and left after Sarutobi Hiruzen praised her.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen put Tsunade in charge of treating Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and Aokiji requested money to search for Xu Fu Flowers.
• Aokiji collected funds, traveled to a city with a Black Market, and cashed a one-hundred-million check before returning to the Extreme Cold Sanctuary.
• Aokiji threw money at Penguin Mani and asked to learn Sage Art.

Aokiji paid Penguin Mani to teach him Sage Art and endured its painful first trial, which left black markings on his arm and granted him access to the first stage. Penguin Mani explained that the second and dangerous third stages were bundled together for five billion, leaving Aokiji asking how to activate his new power.

• Aokiji paid Penguin Mani in advance for Sage Art training.
• Penguin Mani bit Aokiji and injected Sage Mode Chakra, causing intense pain and black markings to appear on his arm.
• Penguin Mani explained that Sage Art had three stages, with the third requiring a dangerous transformation that could kill Aokiji or give him animal traits.
• Aokiji paid Penguin Mani for details about the third stage and learned that the second and third stages cost five billion as a bundle.
• Aokiji declined to pursue the third stage for now and asked how to activate the first stage of Sage Mode.

Aokiji learned to activate and suppress the markings that enhanced his strength, then delivered Xu Fu Flower pills that allowed Tsunade’s team to treat Orochimaru and Jiraiya. After the operation succeeded, the injured men recovered in the hospital, where Jiraiya teased Tsunade and Aokiji’s remark about his grip strength embarrassed her.

• Aokiji learned the hand seals from Penguin Mani, activated the dark markings and increased his power, then learned to reverse the seals and decided to bandage his arm as a disguise.
• Aokiji delivered the Xu Fu Flower pills to Konoha’s Medical Team, and Sarutobi Hiruzen approved the expense for treating Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
• A week later, Tsunade led the Medical Team’s treatment of Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and she reassured Aokiji after the surgery before they informed Sarutobi Hiruzen that it had succeeded.
• A few days later, Jiraiya and Orochimaru told Aokiji and Tsunade that they were recovering well, and Jiraiya joked that he would repay Tsunade by giving himself to her.
• Aokiji helped Jiraiya with porridge and walnuts, then hinted that he had been practicing his grip strength; Tsunade realized what he meant and angrily blamed him.

Aokiji gave Orochimaru a Kusanagi Sword, joked with Jiraiya about quitting women, and shared a romantic moment with Tsunade. As Aokiji trained hard and worried about his Chakra limits, Elder Itachi watched him and planned to implant the Five-Tails in his body.

• Aokiji gave Orochimaru the Kusanagi Sword and turned down Jiraiya's invitation to visit the pleasure district.
• Orochimaru offered to introduce Aokiji to a woman, prompting Tsunade to criticize Aokiji's flaws before he walked away.
• Tsunade found Aokiji on the hospital rooftop, apologized, confessed her devotion, and kissed him.
• Aokiji trained at the Uchiha Clan Compound, asked Elder Itachi about S-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu, and learned that its Chakra demands were too great for him.
• Elder Itachi noticed Aokiji's unusually intense training and decided to implant the Five-Tails in him as part of his plan.

Uchiha Madara planned to use the Five-Tails and Aokiji to bring about Aokiji's downfall, while Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Aokiji to a guard mission with a Jonin he had clashed with before. Aokiji set out with the team, and an ominous masked man carrying a corpse appeared in a public restroom in the Land of Fire.

• Uchiha Madara decided to implant the Five-Tails in Aokiji and eventually turn him against Konoha, while continuing to investigate the link between the Tailed Beasts and the Uchiha Clan.
• Aokiji visited Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the hospital, where Sarutobi Hiruzen asked him to join a guard mission because his teammates were unavailable.
• Aokiji joked with Tsunade about the bandages on his arm before leaving for the mission, and Tsunade quietly worried about his safety.
• At the Hokage's Office, Aokiji reunited with a middle-aged Jonin he had fought before and promised Sarutobi Hiruzen he would cooperate on the mission.
• The Jonin warned Aokiji that the mission's subject was important, while a masked man carrying a corpse entered a public restroom in the Land of Fire.

Kakuzu accepted a wealthy client’s request to kill Jinyu and his eldest son, then confronted their traveling party in a gorge. He decided to kill the two adult Konoha ninja first, leaving Aokiji and the other children for later.

• Kakuzu collected a bounty at the underground market and agreed to meet a prospective client.
• A blond man offered Kakuzu a deposit to assassinate Jinyu and his eldest son, and Kakuzu demanded more money because of the powerful guards they might face.
• Jinyu and his eldest son ate breakfast in Ashina Castle before setting out with Konoha ninja and Daimyo guards.
• During a rest in a gorge, Aokiji sensed danger as Kakuzu approached the party alone.
• Kakuzu assessed the defenders and resolved to kill the two adult ninja before dealing with the children.

Aokiji and his companions faced Kakuzu during an escort mission, but Kakuzu killed the Middle-aged Jonin and overwhelmed the group. After activating his Sharingan, Aokiji surrendered rather than risk his life for the mission’s meager pay.

• Kakuzu attacked the escort party, and Aokiji activated a Sage Art while the Middle-aged Jonin and the Genin prepared to fight.
• The reckless Genin charged Kakuzu and was captured, prompting the Middle-aged Jonin to intervene; Kakuzu used the opening to injure Aokiji and kill the Jonin with a concealed attack from his severed wrist.
• Kakuzu revealed his stitched body and released his Earth Grudge Fear monsters, which attacked the remaining guards and Genin as he pursued Aokiji.
• Aokiji activated his Sharingan, but Kakuzu’s monsters killed his companions and guards, leaving only the two employers alive.
• When Kakuzu asked what he would do, Aokiji surrendered and refused to risk his life for the mission’s small payment.

Aokiji tried to persuade Kakuzu to spare him by appealing to their shared belief that money mattered more than shinobi ideals. After Kakuzu refused to let him go, Aokiji offered a partnership to conceal the incident and make money together, leaving Kakuzu considering the proposal.

• Aokiji let Kakuzu kill the two employers and explained that he had no interest in avenging his dead companions because revenge did not pay.
• Aokiji argued that money drove the world and that shinobi were simply workers who earned money, prompting Kakuzu to recall Takigakure's betrayal of him.
• Kakuzu admitted that he appreciated Aokiji but said he would still kill him to prevent trouble if Aokiji reported what happened to the village.
• Aokiji warned that killing him could provoke the Uchiha Clan and revealed his Ice Release, then offered to conceal the incident if Kakuzu spared him.
• Aokiji proposed that he and Kakuzu start a company, with Aokiji devising plans and Kakuzu handling the finances.

Aokiji bluffed Kakuzu into considering a partnership built on robbing wealthy merchants and taking over their businesses. Kakuzu agreed to test Aokiji on a first job, and Aokiji bet that their employer would refuse to pay.

• Aokiji praised his prospects as a future Uchiha Clan Leader and pitched Kakuzu on making money through a company.
• Aokiji convinced Kakuzu that robbing wealthy merchants and replacing them in the market could earn far more than bounty hunting.
• Kakuzu agreed to work with Aokiji, burned the corpses to destroy evidence, and told him to follow along on the first job.
• Aokiji questioned Kakuzu about their employer and warned that the employer might withhold payment.
• Aokiji wagered five million ryo that the employer would go back on their word, and Kakuzu accepted.

Aokiji and Kakuzu exposed the Blond Man’s attempt to ambush them, then used his hypnotized cooperation to extract his wealth and borrow money from the city’s loan sharks. They left the Castle burning with the lenders framed for the crime, and Kakuzu acknowledged Aokiji’s talent for making money.

• Kakuzu accepted Aokiji’s wager, then counted the bounty payment while the Blond Man sent an ambush against them.
• Kakuzu defeated the attackers and seized the Blond Man, while Aokiji used his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to learn about the assassination plot.
• Aokiji suggested exploiting the Blond Man to borrow money from every loan shark in the city, and the hypnotized nobleman promised to repay the loans.
• The Blond Man refused to repay the loan sharks, leaving them furious and giving Aokiji and Kakuzu convenient scapegoats.
• Aokiji and Kakuzu plundered the Castle’s valuables and set it on fire, then Kakuzu recognized Aokiji’s talent for making money.