Arc 18Chapters 426–450
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Madara reconsidered how his need to be right had cost him Yanbai’s patience and decided to stay close without pressuring him. After discovering Itachi’s dependent status, Madara kept quiet and began accompanying Yanbai at work, where they discussed Jiraiya’s book.
Yanbai explained Icha Icha Paradise as a story about human nature and the pressures shaping ordinary people in the Land of Fire, while Madara struggled to understand its appeal. Madara remained baffled by the series, and Yanbai privately recognized that he had given it to him on purpose.
Madara Uchiha read Konoha’s archives and learned how Yanbai’s relentless work and unconventional policies had made the Hokage position terrifying to inherit. The chapter ended with Yanbai’s shinobi recruits openly defaulting on illegal lenders’ loans, baiting the loan sharks into breaking the law and facing arrest.
Yanbai uncovered hospitals and local residents abusing Tobirama Senju’s social security policies through fraudulent operations and reimbursements. He ordered annual medical-record audits that would expose the fraud, relocate the residents and hospitals, and punish the operators, leaving the Land of Fire with more accurate health statistics.
Uchiha Itachi secretly watched Yanbai and used his Vision to investigate the man calling himself Madara Uchiha, whose profile identified him as Yanbai’s familiar but concealed his status with question marks. Madara noticed Itachi’s spying, while he reflected on how Yanbai’s accumulated record and demanding role made finding a successor difficult.
Madara Uchiha turned down Uchiha Fugaku’s apology so he could spend the afternoon with Yanbai, then confessed how deeply he had suffered while Yanbai tried to leave and how much their time together meant to him. He feared he would eventually lose Yanbai, leaving their quiet afternoon weighted with his uncertainty.
Yanbai brought Madara Uchiha to Shimura Danzō for a private counseling session, claiming Madara’s unusual behavior had become troublesome. Danzō suspected the behavior was a pretext for Madara to obtain intelligence, and asked whether he had come seeking information about the Dōjutsu World used on Obito Uchiha’s graduating class.
Madara Uchiha accompanied Yanbai to the Konoha Military Police Force, where Shimura Danzō tried to explain Uchiha Itachi's history and insulted Yanbai. Madara used a technique to witness Danzō's past, then left with Yanbai and told him what he had seen.
After Madara Uchiha returned, Junlin feared losing his place in Yanbai’s family and wandered near the Senju Clan grounds. Uchiha Itachi confronted him with an offer to alter his genes and reveal the truth of his parentage, leaving Junlin furious and afraid that their secret would be exposed.
Junlin confronted Uchiha Itachi, who revealed that he knew Junlin’s hidden ability and offered to help him in exchange for assistance. At the Princess Mausoleum, Yanbai teased Madara about staring at his chest, then asked what he wanted for dinner.
Yanbai prepared an elaborate dinner for Madara Uchiha and packed a meal for Sasori, prompting Madara to insist he disliked sweet egg rolls while privately resenting Yanbai’s attention to Sasori. After Yanbai left, Muye and Silver Moon teased Madara about his relationship with Yanbai, leaving him speechless.
Madara Uchiha endured Muye and Silver Moon’s teasing before Yanbai pressed him for useful feedback on dinner. As autumn arrived, Yanbai grew anxious about Kushina’s approaching delivery, while Madara confronted Jiraiya about the tacky plots in Icha Icha Paradise and learned Jiraiya intended to make them even tackier.
After beating Jiraiya, Madara Uchiha was attacked near the Memorial Stone by a mysterious opponent, later identified as Itachi. Madara summoned Yanbai, who arrived and told Itachi to stop.
Yanbai confronted Uchiha Itachi after Itachi used Yanbai’s bestowed ability on Madara Uchiha, and Itachi claimed he would try to help Yanbai despite the Old Woman’s orders. Yanbai left open the possibility of an alliance and explained that Itachi had intended to analyze and reconstruct Madara, becoming him.
Yanbai explained that the Gift was a curse born from a mortal’s undying love, powerful enough to kill a god, and revealed how its rule had shaped his past with Madara Uchiha and his sister. He left Madara wondering whether the rule had been restricted in the Shinobi World, which might explain why Itachi had a Gift and Madara did not.
Yanbai helped Kushina through a quick and quiet delivery at Konoha Hospital, where she gave birth to Naruto. After Kushina was moved to a ward to recover, Yanbai left with Madara Uchiha.
After Kushina gave birth safely, Yanbai returned to the Princess Mausoleum with Madara Uchiha, who wrestled with his feelings and tried to understand their strained relationship. Madara asked about Itachi, and Yanbai revealed that he had been his follower in another version of the Shinobi World, leaving Madara wondering what had happened between them.
Madara Uchiha pressed Yanbai to explain what he meant by treating him differently from Itachi, and Yanbai revealed that Itachi was jealous of Madara’s place at his side. The conversation ended with Yanbai asking whether Madara had brought him anything from his mother, leaving Madara feeling bitter despite their closeness.
Yanbai left Madara Uchiha after Madara admitted he could not bring over the gift Yanbai's mother had given him, though Madara urged Yanbai to consider Junlin as a successor. Junlin confessed that Uchiha Itachi had offered to make him Yanbai's biological child in exchange for helping free Yanbai from the god imprisoning him, and Yanbai was shocked to hear it.
Yanbai and Junlin discussed Junlin’s choice to help him despite Uchiha Itachi’s proposal, while Tobirama Senju’s warning about Yanbai’s curse of immortality weighed on Junlin. Yanbai then learned that Kushina’s childbirth had brought a different kind of disaster: sudden troubles caused by Orochimaru’s guns and the Land of Fire’s turbulent history.
Shikaku Nara warned Yanbai that armed disputes between villages and rising crime were threatening the Land of Fire, with possible foreign involvement. Yanbai gave him detailed measures for a gun ban and urged vigilance against the Four Great Nations.
Yanbai managed his Hokage duties and delegated work to the ghosts and animals of the Mountain Wilderness. Madara Uchiha asked to return to the Genshin World, then told Yanbai he would rather part while they were happy and live on in Yanbai’s memories; Yanbai slowly opened his eyes.
Yanbai wondered why Old Grandmother had trapped him in this world and why his system could not be repaired, while Sasori prepared for his contract to end. The chapter ended with Sasori secretly embracing a purple-haired Humanoid Puppet and telling it that Yanbai would not agree to something.
Madara revealed that he had pretended to return willingly in order to lure Black Zetsu into a trap, and imprisoned him in an illusory world. Meanwhile, Yanbai grew suspicious of what had happened in Sasori’s workshop and considered secretly breaching its barrier to investigate.
Madara Uchiha used a technique on Black Zetsu to uncover the truth behind Yanbai's plans, then escaped the sealed space when Yanbai returned. He demanded entry to Yanbai's dōjutsu illusion and, once inside, challenged Yanbai to get the information from him.