Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru followed a group of rats into their underground kingdom, believing he might find the path to immortality Yanbai had pointed out. There he discovered that the elderly rat Cherry Ink had become a childlike human, though how he had changed remained unexplained.

• Orochimaru recalled Yanbai’s advice that studying his and Madara’s cells would not reveal immortality, and that his opportunity lay on the road to Konoha.
• Rats approached Orochimaru in the rain and signaled for him to follow them.
• Orochimaru followed the rats through the underground marketplace beneath a towering tree to a large hall.
• Orochimaru met a child who spoke with an old man’s manner and recognized Cherry Ink in his face and eyes.
• Cherry Ink revealed his identity, and Orochimaru asked how he had become human.

Yanbai explained to Tobirama why Madara had arranged his escape from the sealed coffin and why he had not resurrected the Senju brothers. Tobirama accepted Yanbai’s choices, then revealed that he had uncovered the secret behind Cherry Ink’s longevity.

• Tobirama apologized for studying Yanbai’s genes and told him that Madara had once promised to resurrect Hashirama.
• Yanbai explained that a being had trapped him in a coffin until Madara and Hashirama died, and that Madara later arranged to leave the world temporarily so Yanbai could emerge.
• Yanbai said he could resurrect Tobirama and Hashirama but was unsure whether doing so meant he also had to resurrect Kawarama and Itama.
• Tobirama said he supported Yanbai and believed the younger brothers had already received more life than they were owed.
• Tobirama revealed that he had experimented with Yanbai’s cells and discovered that Cherry Ink gained longevity by possessing new bodies and replacing its old ones.

Yanbai explained how Cherry Ink had used Living Corpse Reincarnation to survive by possessing dying children and helping them and their communities. Tobirama Senju admitted he wanted to create a child from Yanbai and Madara Uchiha’s genes, and asked Yanbai to let him proceed with his research.

• Yanbai told Tobirama Senju that he had given Cherry Ink Orochimaru’s perfected Living Corpse Reincarnation technique after making agreements with it.
• Tobirama Senju explained that Cherry Ink had eventually possessed dying children in impoverished border countries, using Konoha’s medical care to extend their lives.
• Yanbai described how Cherry Ink had become the Rat Sage, raised the children it healed, and trained them to treat others.
• Tobirama Senju said he had sent Orochimaru to find Cherry Ink because he wanted to stop him wasting Yanbai’s cells on flawed research.
• Tobirama Senju revealed that he had developed a method to synthesize life from parental genes and asked Yanbai not to stop him from trying to create a child using Yanbai and Madara Uchiha’s genes.

Tobirama Senju told Yanbai he wanted to create an artificial child using his cells, but Yanbai objected and realized Tobirama had probably already started the experiment. Tobirama left Yanbai suspecting he might conceal the child if Yanbai continued to refuse.

• Tobirama Senju told Yanbai he wanted to synthesize an artificial child from his cells and offered samples from other men as possible fathers.
• Tobirama Senju interpreted Yanbai's reluctance as a desire to avoid ties to Madara Uchiha and suggested Madara as the most suitable father.
• Yanbai asked Tobirama Senju to imagine how frightening it would be for children to suddenly appear and call someone Dad.
• Tobirama Senju described his research, including artificial womb technology and successful creation of baby rats from blood and somatic cells.
• Yanbai realized Tobirama Senju had likely already begun synthesizing a child and had come only to prepare him for the news.

Yanbai learned that Tobirama Senju had secretly created two children using Yanbai and Madara Uchiha's cells. After Tobirama showed him their photographs and explained their origins, Yanbai asked about their names and learned they were nicknamed Night and Silver.

• Yanbai confronted Tobirama Senju about the children created from his cellular material, and Tobirama admitted he had made two.
• Tobirama explained that Yanbai's cells were too aggressive for an XX pairing, so only XY and YX combinations succeeded.
• Tobirama presented photographs of the two children, who were already several months old and had been raised in a hidden research facility.
• Tobirama told Yanbai that the black-haired older child resembled Madara Uchiha, while the silver-haired younger child resembled Yanbai.
• Yanbai asked what the children were called, and Tobirama said their nicknames were Night and Silver.

Yanbai accepted Tobirama Senju’s explanation for the two children he had created, named them Muye and Silver Moon, and began caring for them with Tobirama. Meanwhile, Orochimaru learned Cherry Ink’s method for Living Corpse Reincarnation and suspected Cherry Ink was seeking to become fully human.

• Yanbai named the children Muye and Silver Moon after Tobirama Senju explained that his curiosity had led him to create them and that he could not bring himself to end their lives.
• Tobirama Senju brought the sleeping children to Yanbai before dawn, and Yanbai accepted them while Tobirama prepared supplies and food for them.
• Yanbai held Silver Moon and watched over both children as Tobirama Senju cared for them.
• Cherry Ink taught Orochimaru the techniques, materials, and cellular theories behind Living Corpse Reincarnation, and Orochimaru accepted the safe method.
• Cherry Ink told Orochimaru that he was a rat whose soul coexisted with the sick child whose body he shared.
• Orochimaru realized Cherry Ink might be refining Living Corpse Reincarnation to become a true human.

Cherry Ink relayed Yanbai’s anger at Tobirama Senju’s schemes and his request for Orochimaru to test Tobirama’s artificial-human technology in a humiliating way. Back with Yanbai and the babies, Cherry Ink offered to help raise them, but Tobirama insisted on caring for them himself.

• Zhi told Cherry Ink that Yanbai wanted Orochimaru to learn what Tobirama had done and take action.
• Cherry Ink explained that Tobirama had used Orochimaru to test Yanbai’s acceptance of artificial humans and the children.
• Cherry Ink passed on Yanbai’s plan for Orochimaru to pair Tobirama’s cells with those of unmarried, childless male shinobi and later have the children call Tobirama “Mommy.”
• Cherry Ink visited Yanbai and Tobirama while Tobirama was feeding Muye and Silver Moon.
• Cherry Ink offered to help raise the children, but Tobirama rejected the offer and said he would care for them himself.

Yanbai and Cherry Ink arranged a secret plan with Orochimaru to collect a powerful person's cells while Tobirama returned to work. As Kumogakure attacked, Yanbai abandoned his plans to visit the Land of Lightning, and Kima Senju sent Shukaku and Kurama to bombard the borders with support from Chōmei.

• After Tobirama left, Cherry Ink told Yanbai that he and Orochimaru had devised a way to collect cells without Tobirama noticing.
• Cherry Ink explained that Orochimaru would obtain cells from a chosen powerful person and secretly pass them to Cherry Ink for gene-combination research.
• The Land of Fire used compulsory education, weapons, and forced prison labor to strengthen its population and economy while dealing with criminals.
• Yanbai decided not to travel to the Land of Lightning after Kumogakure launched an attack.
• After consulting Yanbai, Kima Senju sent Shukaku and Kurama to the borders, where Chōmei provided aerial support for their attacks on neighboring countries.

Madara Uchiha continued his investigation and work as Sumeru’s General Mahamatra in Teyvat, then met Yanbai in a dream. Yanbai told him that Tobirama had created two artificial sons from Madara and Yanbai’s cells, and Madara agreed to meet them through scheduled dreams.

• Madara sensed something near a Deity Statue and used it to enter the dream boundary where he could meet Yanbai.
• Yanbai told Madara that Tobirama had secretly used their cells to create two artificial humans, making Madara a father after death.
• Madara agreed to prepare for scheduled dream visits with the two sons.
• Madara described his work investigating clues across the desert and rainforest while serving as General Mahamatra and gathering information through card games.
• Madara had a scholar who used counterfeit cards reprimanded and made him post a notice and written self-criticism, adding to his intimidating reputation and growing list of nicknames.

Madara Uchiha survived an attempted murder in the new world and dealt with a fleeing scholar by framing his death as a boar accident. Meanwhile, Orochimaru received Yanbai’s hair and tried to access a deceased powerhouse’s cells, but Tobirama Senju caught him.

• Madara Uchiha woke as a scholar held a dagger to his throat and knocked the man unconscious.
• Madara captured a scholar who had fled into the rainforest and planned to report that the man had died in a boar accident.
• A butterfly led Orochimaru to Xiao Zhi, who gave him a box containing a lock of Yanbai’s hair.
• Orochimaru returned to the Research Institute and encountered Tobirama Senju, who said he was going for a walk.
• Orochimaru went to the storage area for the remains and cells of past figures, but Tobirama asked what he was doing.

Orochimaru concealed his reasons for entering the morgue and kept Yanbai’s hair, while Tobirama Senju grew suspicious and planned stricter safeguards. Orochimaru left realizing that Tobirama’s presence made his plans increasingly difficult.

• Orochimaru told Tobirama Senju he had entered the morgue to store Yanbai’s hair, showed him the lock, and agreed to leave the morgue.
• Tobirama Senju warned Orochimaru that using a deceased person’s cells required Hokage approval, then asked whether he understood the language Yanbai and Cherry Ink spoke.
• Orochimaru denied understanding Thai, and Tobirama Senju let him leave while considering how to make the morgue harder to access.
• Back in his office, Orochimaru worried that Tobirama Senju had discovered Yanbai and Cherry Ink’s secret language and resented his uncle’s constant scrutiny.
• Orochimaru took the soaking-wet hair from his pocket and realized that future morgue visits would require an approved research project.

Yanbai watched Cherry Ink dote on the two babies before Kima Senju reported that Iwagakure had joined Kumogakure in attacking Konoha. Yanbai urged Kima to treat the war as an opportunity to defeat the invaders and gain territory, while Kima remained anxious about the cost and his responsibility as Hokage.

• Yanbai watched Cherry Ink kiss and babble with Muye and Silver Moon, then told Cherry Ink to stop kissing them so forcefully.
• Kima Senju gave Yanbai documents and reported that Iwagakure had joined Kumogakure in the war against Konoha.
• Kima explained that the Third Tsuchikage could counter Tailed Beast Bombs and the Third Raikage could fight Directors Kurama and Shukaku, and worried that a prolonged war would harm Konoha.
• Yanbai told Kima that other countries feared the Land of Fire's growth and that Konoha should use the attack to defeat its enemies and claim territory.
• Kima said the people had come to abhor war and admitted that he feared being blamed for any failures during his term as Hokage.

Yanbai planned to use wartime publicity and refugee protections to draw civilians into the Land of Fire, while trusting the tailed beasts to choose their family. Cherry Ink reported that it had begun helping immigrant followers and exposing corrupt officials, and Yanbai left the matter in its hands.

• Yanbai asked Kima Senju about border publicity, then ordered elite guards to report the war and show foreign civilians how the Land of Fire treated its people.
• Kima Senju asked whether they should bring back the Nine Tailed Beasts, but Yanbai said they could choose for themselves and promised to intervene when necessary.
• Cherry Ink told Yanbai that civilians were fleeing into the Land of Fire and that some border guards were monitoring immigrants while giving them work and a path to citizenship.
• Cherry Ink said it visited disciplinary officers in their dreams after immigrant followers were bullied and helped them investigate corrupt officials.

Yanbai spoke with Tsunade about her childhood, her feelings for Orochimaru, and her desire not to disappoint him. He urged her to gain strength and power, leaving Tsunade smiling as his affection brought back memories of visiting him as a child.

• Orochimaru brought Tsunade to visit Yanbai and secretly gave Cherry Ink the Strongman's Cells, hinting that Tobirama had spies in the Princess Mausoleum.
• Cherry Ink understood Orochimaru's warning and hurried to the underground kingdom to complete the gene synthesis experiment.
• Tsunade told Yanbai that she wanted his approval and explained how Orochimaru had shaped and cared for her.
• Tsunade admitted that she liked Orochimaru and worried he would not marry her, and Yanbai advised her to pursue strength and power.
• Yanbai stroked Tsunade's head, and she remembered visiting him as a child and began smiling with him.

Yanbai sabotaged Kumogakure’s Chakra Cannon, stole its plans, and turned the war into a campaign that ruined Kumogakure’s and Iwagakure’s reputations. Third Raikage A and Ōnoki realized they had been manipulated and faced growing opposition to the war at home.

• Third Raikage A learned that Yanbai’s animals had repeatedly sabotaged Kumogakure’s Chakra Cannon, preventing it from firing safely.
• Yanbai obtained the cannon’s blueprints and had Orochimaru copy them while Kima Senju urged people to develop smaller versions for Konoha’s defense.
• Kumogakure and Iwagakure continued fighting with conventional methods as Yanbai manipulated the conflict and cast them as villains.
• Third Raikage A and Ōnoki realized Konoha had been controlling the war’s pace and that their villages had lost public support.
• Ōnoki heard that civilians in Iwagakure were protesting the war and demanding a ceasefire.

Yanbai used giant hogweed to infect the nobles and daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, forcing Kumogakure to halt its campaign against the Land of Fire. As Black Zetsu complained about the turmoil Yanbai had caused, Yanbai listened to reports from birds in his living room.

• A and Ōnoki struggled against the Land of Fire’s artillery and septic-tank defenses during the prolonged war.
• After six months of stalemate, Kumogakure prepared its Chakra Cannon against the Land of Fire.
• Yanbai used the Flying Thunder God Technique and Wood Clones to spread giant hogweed around the daimyo’s palaces in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.
• The giant hogweed sap left nobles and daimyo with painful burns and blisters, and the nobles of the Land of Lightning ordered Kumogakure to stop attacking and send medical shinobi.
• A halted Kumogakure’s operations under pressure from the daimyo, while Yanbai listened to reports and Black Zetsu complained about the chaos.

Yanbai continued caring for Muye and Silver Moon while defying Black Zetsu and allowing the Shinobi World's plot to collapse, hoping to escape the broken system. He revealed that he had sent Madara to another world to help him leave, and Black Zetsu realized Yanbai had prepared for this plan for years.

• Yanbai ignored Black Zetsu's demands and argued that his testing work was finished, while threatening to let the Shinobi World's plot collapse unless the system backend was repaired.
• Yanbai reflected on how he had used his growing power to undermine the Four Countries and retaliate over Old Grandmother's past actions.
• Black Zetsu described how Yanbai secretly monitored and controlled the war while staying home to care for Muye and Silver Moon.
• Yanbai confirmed that Madara was no longer in the Shinobi World after Black Zetsu tried to summon him with Impure World Reincarnation.
• Yanbai told Black Zetsu that he needed Madara's help to escape, and Black Zetsu inferred that Yanbai had sent Madara to another world to awaken his incarnation and establish a resonance.

Yanbai questioned Kima Senju about his plans to retire as Hokage and his list of candidates, which included Yanbai. Kima explained that the Hokage controlled the Scroll of Seals and the Book of Merit, and that Yanbai’s recorded achievements made it impossible to leave her off the list.

• Black Zetsu ended his conversation with Yanbai when Kima Senju arrived, while Cherry Ink taught Muye and Silver Moon to sing as they shelled vegetables.
• Kima Senju gave Yanbai documents about his planned retirement and the next Hokage election, and Yanbai questioned why her name appeared among the candidates.
• Kima Senju explained that Hokage candidates needed merit, political achievements, popular support, and backing from Konoha’s major clans.
• Kima Senju told Yanbai that the Hokage controlled the Scroll of Seals and the Book of Merit, which recorded the deeds of Yanbai, Madara, and others.
• Kima Senju said Yanbai’s achievements made her the most qualified candidate and that the villagers would object if her name were omitted.

Yanbai considered whether to accept a possible nomination as Seventh Hokage, then learned that Ōnoki planned to use Dust Release against civilians at the Land of Fire’s border. The Land of Whirlpools remained aloof after its attempt to secure Konoha’s help through family ties had angered Yanbai.

• Yanbai weighed becoming Hokage and decided the role might be worth experiencing in this timeline.
• Kima Senju briefed Yanbai on the front lines and their plans for the coming days.
• A bird brought Yanbai word that Ōnoki intended to attack border civilians from the air with Dust Release.
• Kima Senju warned that Ōnoki and A were formidable, while Yanbai dismissed the danger.
• The Uzumaki Clan stayed silent as Konoha faced attacks after Yanbai rejected its attempt to obtain aid through family ties.

Kima Senju explained the strained relationships between the Senju and Uzumaki clans and revealed that Tobirama Senju had arranged for Tsunade to inherit the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Yanbai considered the Daimyo’s precarious position and decided Tsunade should take over sooner.

• Kima Senju told Yanbai that accepting help and exchanging favors could build useful relationships, while Yanbai warned that one-sided relationships were not worth keeping.
• Kima Senju recounted how he and the Senju household had struggled to care for Tsunade after her parents died, and how Tobirama Senju had quietly supported her.
• Kima Senju revealed that Tobirama Senju had helped the current Daimyo take power and secured her promise to name Tsunade as her successor.
• Kima Senju said the aging Daimyo was preparing to abdicate but admitted he did not know how to tell Tsunade.
• Yanbai concluded that the Daimyo had long depended on Konoha and decided Tsunade should take the position sooner.