Chapter Summaries

Yanbai watched the younger generation’s relationships and Konoha’s changing school system before meeting the young Obito while disguised as an old man. Six months later, he visited a failing Mito, who asked him to care for Kushina and Nagato after her death.

• Yanbai judged Senju Nawaki’s treatment of Kushina as halfhearted but decided not to interfere in their relationship.
• Yanbai followed Jiraiya’s writing career and required people to wear swimwear at the hot springs, officially to prevent contamination.
• Yanbai observed Kakashi Hatake’s generation begin school under a system that placed children in shinobi or regular classes, and noted that Might Guy was happy in a regular class.
• Disguised as an old man, Yanbai let Obito help him, then revealed himself as the Hokage and invited Obito to visit him.
• Six months later, Yanbai visited Mito as her health worsened, and Mito entrusted Kushina and Nagato to his care after her death.

Yanbai agreed to become Nagato and Kushina’s guardian and continued managing the Land of Fire’s education system while trying to keep Obito on schedule. When Obito came to the Hokage Office and explained why he was dating young, Yanbai heard how Uchiha children’s upbringing and prospects differed from those of commoners.

• Yanbai agreed to let Nagato and Kushina live with him until they reached adulthood, then left them largely in Muye and Silver Moon’s care.
• Yanbai reflected on the demanding credit and exam requirements for early graduation in the Land of Fire’s compulsory education system.
• Obito repeatedly ran late after talking with Yanbai, and Yanbai once caused him to fail a physical fitness assessment when he choked on a candy.
• Obito came to the Hokage Office for wontons and told Yanbai he was dating young.
• Obito explained that his grandmother encouraged him to experience more than studying and described how Uchiha children received clan schooling before the Ninja Academy.
• Obito questioned whether graduating at the top would earn him the same treatment and opportunities his grandmother had received, and Yanbai recognized that it would not.

Yanbai reflected on Obito’s grandmother’s advice that people needed experience with love to make calm choices, and considered how marriage could shape a person’s life. He wondered whether a more level-headed Obito would avoid becoming the man who once brought disaster upon the Shinobi World.

• Obito told Yanbai that his grandmother believed life had different priorities for different generations of the Uchiha Clan.
• Yanbai explained that Obito’s grandmother wanted him to become accustomed to loving and being loved so he could make rational choices.
• Yanbai remembered asking Madara whether he should push Muye and Silver Moon to compete harder, and Madara said parents should provide a safety net without interfering too much.
• Yanbai concluded that children needed protection from destructive relationships as well as support in their education.
• Yanbai escorted Obito to the Ninja Academy and explained the situation to his homeroom teacher.
• Yanbai wondered whether Obito would avoid his future catastrophe if he learned to approach love with a level head.

Kushina ended her relationship with Senju Nawaki after his continued devotion to Mikoto left her feeling neglected. Yanbai comforted Kushina, then confronted Nawaki and learned how little he truly valued her, leaving him stunned by Yanbai’s rebuke.

• Kushina broke down after Nawaki again left her behind to fuss over Mikoto, and she demanded a breakup in the Hokage Office.
• Yanbai hugged Kushina and promised to protect her, then used his Dōjutsu to inspect Nawaki’s memories when he came to win her back.
• Yanbai sent Shikaku Nara to take Kushina to a lounge and told Nawaki they should break up.
• Nawaki insisted he loved Kushina and did not want to leave her, but Yanbai accused him of hurting her through his unchanged behavior.
• Nawaki compared his attachment to Kushina to growing attached to a dog, and Yanbai sarcastically agreed that Kushina had grown attached to him.

At the family feast, Kushina announced that she wanted to marry Minato, prompting Yanbai’s family to scrutinize their relationship and question whether the two had considered what marriage involved. Muye and Silver Moon began assessing the match in practical terms, leaving Kushina and Minato stunned.

• Yanbai arranged for Kushina to live independently while Junlin and Minato visited her, and Muye and Silver Moon took Nagato along on their travels.
• Kushina brought Minato to the monthly family feast and announced that she wanted to marry him.
• Orochimaru praised Minato and urged the others not to intimidate the couple, but the family’s questions made Minato realize Kushina came from a powerful family.
• Muye and Silver Moon challenged Kushina and Minato to explain whether they understood marriage and described it as a partnership between two families.
• Muye argued that they should weigh the objective benefits and drawbacks of marriage rather than relying on feelings, and Yanbai laughed at her veiled jab at Nawaki.

Silver Moon and Muye assessed whether Minato Namikaze and Kushina were a suitable match by laying out what each could offer the other. They left Minato stunned as the marriage evaluation began.

• Kushina endured Muye's blunt remarks while Yanbai encouraged her to listen, and Silver Moon explained that the family would assess her and Minato before marriage.
• Silver Moon argued that marriage should be an equal exchange rather than an act of charity, leaving Minato and the others unsettled.
• Muye explained that the assessment would focus on traits that benefited a partner, and he listed Minato's advantages for Kushina and Kushina's advantages for Minato.
• Minato struggled to respond after hearing their qualities spelled out, and Silver Moon warned him that embarrassment now could leave him in trouble later.

Minato Namikaze reflected on Yanbai and Silver Moon’s careful assessment of his compatibility with Kushina and the importance of mutual respect between their families. Later, Yanbai approved Kakashi Hatake’s early graduation, and a bewildered Obito asked whether good grades and strength made people more likable.

• Minato Namikaze considered how differences in worldview, family background, and character had made Kushina and Senju Nawaki a poor match.
• Silver Moon explained that Minato Namikaze and Kushina would remain influenced by their families after marriage, and Minato Namikaze felt pressure from the scrutiny.
• Yanbai reviewed Kakashi Hatake’s graduation requirements and, after Shikaku Nara verified them, stamped his certificate with the Hokage’s seal.
• Obito asked Yanbai whether good grades and strength made people like him more, and Yanbai said they did at his age.

Obito worried that Kakashi’s graduation would draw Rin away, but Yanbai helped him reconsider graduating early. Meanwhile, Yanbai observed how his disciples’ relationships and family lives had changed, with Senju Nawaki left alone as the people he relied on grew old.

• Obito told Yanbai he wanted to graduate early, and Yanbai asked whether Kakashi was his crush; Obito insisted that he liked Rin.
• Yanbai pointed out that graduating early would also take Obito away from Rin, and Obito decided to treasure the time they had together.
• Kushina and Minato Namikaze became a couple, and Kushina began caring for Minato while he visited Yanbai to ask about the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Hyuga Yuisaki married a woman chosen by his clan, while Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were already legally married and planned their wedding banquet.
• Senju Nawaki remained the only one of Yanbai’s four disciples without a partner as the people he could rely on grew old.

Bored with the lack of conflict, Yanbai sent Sunagakure a lucrative commission for puppet toys, with a veiled threat to bring a meteor shower if it refused. The Third Kazekage accepted the invitation and set out for Konoha to meet Yanbai.

• After learning from Shikaku Nara that Sunagakure was impoverished, Yanbai wrote a commission offering ten million ryo for puppet toys and demanding that the Kazekage come to Konoha.
• Yanbai threatened to visit Sunagakure and make the village watch a meteor shower if it refused or returned the deposit.
• Shikaku Nara recognized the letter as a threat and expected the Kazekage to accept rather than risk Sunagakure's destruction.
• Yanbai's roads and border city of Ishinomaki enabled the commission to reach the Third Kazekage that evening.
• The Third Kazekage weighed the money against Yanbai's threat, then decided to travel to Konoha and discuss the collaboration.

The Third Kazekage arrived in Konoha and experienced the Land of Fire’s comfortable facilities before meeting Yanbai to discuss a puppet-making collaboration. Yanbai proposed that Sunagakure build lifelike entertainment puppets from his designs, with possible combat-puppet work to follow if the first project succeeded.

• The Third Kazekage and his entourage traveled to Konoha through the Land of Fire’s efficient logistics system and were impressed by their accommodations and services.
• The Third Kazekage’s party saw how Ishinomaki City had transformed the desert and wondered whether Sunagakure could become similarly prosperous.
• Shikaku Nara escorted the Third Kazekage to Konoha’s diplomatic conference hall the next morning, where Yanbai welcomed him.
• Yanbai showed the Third Kazekage an illustration of a purple-clad woman and explained that he wanted Sunagakure’s Puppeteers to reproduce her as a lifelike humanoid puppet.
• Yanbai proposed sharing the profits from rare civilian-use entertainment puppets and said he might offer combat-puppet designs after Sunagakure proved its worth.

Yanbai negotiated a puppet-making partnership with the Third Kazekage, offering materials from the Land of Fire to make the puppets more lifelike. After securing favorable terms, Yanbai hosted the Kazekage in Konoha and proposed expanding their cooperation by opening Land of Fire eateries in Sunagakure.

• Yanbai showed the Third Kazekage baby-bottle nipples as a model for soft, lifelike puppet skin and offered to supply materials from Konoha and the Land of Fire.
• Yanbai and the Third Kazekage agreed to an eighty-twenty profit split, with eighty percent going to Yanbai and twenty percent to Sunagakure.
• Yanbai took the Third Kazekage on a tour of Konoha factories and treated him and his companions to an elaborate meal.
• Yanbai asked about the Kazekage's favorite dishes and learned that Sunagakure lacked vegetables because of the Land of Wind's barren soil.
• Yanbai proposed opening eateries from the Land of Fire in Sunagakure, leaving the Third Kazekage to consider another expansion of their cooperation.

The Third Kazekage reflected on the many trade agreements Yanbai had persuaded him to sign and learned more about the Land of Fire’s hotels and logistics. After breakfast, Yanbai hurried him onto a beast-drawn vehicle to return to Sunagakure, eager for the village to fulfill its commission.

• The Third Kazekage recalled signing agreements with Yanbai for Puppet Toy production, chain businesses, and trade in desert waste products.
• Yanbai took the Third Kazekage to the hotel’s self-service restaurant and explained that breakfast was included with the room fee.
• The Third Kazekage’s party filled their plates at breakfast and regretted missing the previous day’s meal.
• Yanbai showed the Third Kazekage the Didi Beast-Ride vehicle and described the Land of Fire’s animal-powered transport network.
• The Third Kazekage declined Yanbai’s further business proposals and departed for Sunagakure by ninja-beast vehicle.

Yanbai prepared to expand Konoha’s influence in Sunagakure through trade, infrastructure, and assimilation, while anticipating resistance from the Land of Wind’s Daimyo. He revealed that the Land of Fire’s Daimyo supported his plans, leaving him free to press ahead.

• Shikaku Nara reported that Konoha’s chain-store supplies and skilled workers would reach Sunagakure with the Third Kazekage and begin opening shops.
• Yanbai planned to use Konoha-run stores, local marriages, and compulsory education to gradually assimilate Sunagakure and eventually take it over.
• Shikaku Nara warned that the Land of Wind’s Daimyo would resist Sunagakure becoming economically independent and slipping from his control.
• Yanbai said the Third Kazekage would have to choose between offending the Daimyo and accepting Konoha’s support, and joked that he could use a meteor strike as a pretext to rebuild the Land of Wind.
• Yanbai told Shikaku Nara that the Land of Fire’s Daimyo supported his decisions, had ordered puppet dolls from him, and planned to visit.

On the journey home, the Third Kazekage’s anxiety eased as Aik explained Yanbai’s ideas about accepting imperfection, though he remained wary of the Hokage’s power and the puppet business deal. He arrived at Sunagakure to find Yanbai’s convoy already prepared to begin building a Farmers' Market in the Gobi that night.

• Aik spoke with the Third Kazekage during the carriage ride and reassured him that Yanbai was unusually successful, not a standard anyone else had to meet.
• The Third Kazekage realized Yanbai had arranged the dogs’ conversations to calm him so he could carry out the commission.
• The Third Kazekage considered copying Yanbai’s lucrative puppet business but rejected the idea because he feared provoking the Hokage.
• The Third Kazekage’s convoy reached Sunagakure, where Yanbai’s representatives presented plans to build a Farmers' Market in the Gobi and announced construction would begin that night.

Yanbai’s plans brought Konoha construction crews and an animal army to Sunagakure, where they built an agricultural market that began supplying the village with fresh food. Back in Konoha, Obito asked Yanbai how she had won over Madara, and took her story of bullying him as useful advice for impressing Rin.

• Yanbai used birds’ memories to map the terrain around Sunagakure and prepared detailed plans for an agricultural market before the Third Kazekage arrived.
• Cherry Ink sent sick children to Konoha for care and mobilized rats to join the animal army traveling to the Land of Wind.
• Konoha crews and animals built the market near Sunagakure, while native animals supplied food and materials for the workers.
• Konoha’s transport service began rotating construction crews and bringing vegetable sellers and produce to the market, giving Sunagakure fresh food and launching a joint venture.
• Obito asked Yanbai how she had won over Madara, and Yanbai said she had bullied him when they were young.
• Obito thanked Yanbai and concluded that her story would help him with Rin.

Yanbai corrected Obito’s mistaken belief that he and Madara were romantically involved, then reviewed Konoha’s projects and Sunagakure farmers’ market with Shikaku Nara. He planned to expand the market and its services until Sunagakure increasingly depended on cooperation with Konoha.

• Yanbai told Obito that his long life made lasting romance impossible, but Obito promised that his family would keep Yanbai company, prompting Yanbai to send him away.
• Shikaku Nara reported on construction projects and policy results across the Land of Fire before updating Yanbai on Sunagakure.
• Shikaku Nara said the farmers’ market had opened with vegetables, seasonings, meat, fruit, and prepared food, and that its daily revenue had met its target and was growing.
• Yanbai approved plans to promote biogas stoves and sell natural gas made from Sunagakure’s free communal waste, while reminding staff to avoid allergy-triggering ingredients.
• Yanbai planned to expand the market with greenhouses fertilized by septic-tank residue, reducing transport costs and making Sunagakure more reliant on Konoha.

The Third Kazekage watched Konoha establish a farmers' market in Sunagakure, where cheap food, sanitation improvements, and waste collection quickly transformed village life. Unable to oppose Konoha's growing influence, Chiyo decided to visit Konoha and meet the legendary Princess Senju once the Puppet Doll was finished.

• The Third Kazekage summoned Chiyo to take over Yanbai's Puppet Toy commission and convened Sunagakure's leaders to explain his agreements with Konoha.
• Konoha's construction shinobi built a farmers' market and collected Sunagakure's accumulated shit before returning to Konoha and being replaced by sales shinobi.
• Konoha's sales shinobi introduced cheap produce, group purchases, delivery, and paid work to Sunagakure's villagers.
• The farmers' market improved sanitation by collecting waste and helping villagers install urban drainage systems.
• The Third Kazekage realized Konoha was gaining influence over Sunagakure through its services, while Chiyo and Ebizo saw no easy way to resist.
• Chiyo decided to visit Konoha Shinobi Village and meet the legendary Princess Senju after finishing the Puppet Doll.

Yanbai refused to use artificial-human technology to help Uchiha Fugaku and Minato Namikaze have children, but prescribed tonics for their wives, and Mikoto became pregnant. When Granny Chiyo brought him the first form of the puppet doll, Yanbai learned that Sasori had designed its humanlike construction.

• Uchiha Fugaku and Minato Namikaze asked Yanbai to help them have children through artificial means, but he refused and prescribed different tonics for them and their wives.
• Yanbai noted that none of his four students seemed suited to replace him as Hokage, while his projects continued without a successor in sight.
• Mikoto became pregnant after taking the prescribed tonics, while Kushina remained unpregnant and tried to ease her anxiety by taking walks.
• Granny Chiyo brought Yanbai the puppet doll’s initial form, a wooden human skeleton intended to be fitted with artificial organs, muscles, and skin.
• Yanbai asked whether the design was Granny Chiyo’s idea, and she explained that her grandson Sasori had devised it from Yanbai’s drawings and requirements.

Yanbai met Sasori, who proposed to him because he believed Yanbai was immortal, and learned that Sasori’s parents had died protecting him from Ōnoki. Yanbai rejected the proposal and turned their conversation toward Sasori’s work on the Raiden Shogun puppet.

• Chiyo brought Sasori to meet Yanbai in the Hokage Office, where Sasori immediately proposed marriage to Yanbai.
• Yanbai asked about Sasori’s parents, and Sasori said Ōnoki had killed them with Dust Release while they protected him during an invasion of Sunagakure.
• Yanbai realized Sasori’s parents had died differently than they had in the original course of events and wondered how witnessing their sacrifice had shaped Sasori.
• Yanbai told Sasori he would not marry him because he did not want to have sex with him.
• Yanbai discussed the Raiden Shogun puppet with Sasori and told him to give it a beautiful, commanding presence or risk having his pay docked.

Sasori asked to remain in Konoha to study materials for Yanbai’s puppet and visit him each day, and Yanbai approved. After Shikaku warned that Sasori might make a puppet resembling Yanbai as part of his fixation, Yanbai summoned Sasori back to speak with him privately.

• Sasori told Yanbai he wanted to stay in Konoha to study alloy and other materials for the puppet, and Yanbai approved his temporary residency and daily visits.
• Chiyo left the Hokage Office with Sasori and the puppet skeleton, while Konoha Anbu escorted them from the building.
• Shikaku warned Yanbai that Sasori seemed fixated on him and could use puppet-making to fulfill his fantasies.
• Yanbai called Sasori back without Chiyo and tried to explain that he would not marry him because Yanbai was a man.
• Sasori looked down at Yanbai’s chest in disbelief, and Yanbai said he had called him back to discuss something important.