Chapter Summaries

After the ANBU squad killed Suikazan Fuguki, Kisame escaped and returned to Kirigakure, while the squad discussed their ninja ways and Zou Hyuga warned Oto Uchiha that the village might turn against her clan. The chapter ended with Zou planning to experiment on Kisame after they returned to Konoha.

• Zou Hyuga lamented that Kisame had destroyed valuable intelligence by killing Suikazan Fuguki, and Kisame later buried Fuguki and headed back to Kirigakure.
• The ANBU squad left the Coastal Town and returned toward the village after reporting the mission to local officials.
• Asuma asked the squad about their ninja ways, and Kakashi shared his belief that protecting comrades mattered more than completing missions.
• During night watch, Zou Hyuga warned Oto Uchiha that the village might target her clan, but Oto rejected the idea and defended the Uchiha.
• Zou Hyuga told Oto Uchiha he wanted to resume experiments on Kisame because Kisame could withstand his natural chakra.

Zou Hyuga sensed a mysterious chakra presence near the camp but found no one with his Byakugan. The masked Obito watched Kakashi before leaving with Zetsu for the Land of Rain to begin the plan entrusted to him.

• Oto Uchiha asked Zou Hyuga to continue experimenting, but he stopped when he sensed a chakra fluctuation near the camp.
• Zou Hyuga found no intruder with his Byakugan and stayed on watch while Oto guarded the camp.
• A masked Obito and Zetsu watched Kakashi's camp, and Obito told Zetsu they were heading to the Land of Rain.
• Obito left through a vortex to begin his plan, which required joining the Akatsuki and pursuing the Sage's Eye.
• Kakashi woke from a nightmare about Rin and Obito, then left the camp to clear his head, followed by Asuma.

After returning from their mission, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha met the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who reviewed their report and confirmed Zou could keep Samehada. Minato refused their request to leave ANBU, and the chapter ended with the Third Hokage revealing he had been advising Minato from the next room.

• The ANBU squad returned to Konoha and discovered that Minato Namikaze had become the Fourth Hokage.
• Minato read Kakashi's report, approved of the squad's defeat of Suikazan Fuguki, and considered assigning Kakashi more missions with Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha.
• Zou Hyuga asked for payment if the village wanted Samehada, and Minato ruled that the sword was his spoils of war.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha asked to leave ANBU and return to teaching, but Minato said they would remain ANBU members while continuing as adjunct teachers.
• After the squad left, the Third Hokage entered and told Minato that Zou and Oto were cunning but reliable.

Minato Namikaze rejected the Third Hokage’s defense of Root, but Danzo and the other Elder Advisors arrived to pressure him. Meanwhile, Zou Hyuga returned home and learned that Hiashi wanted to see him, bringing him into the Main Family residence and face to face with the clan divisions he resented.

• Minato Namikaze told the Third that Root had disrupted village order and could not be allowed to exist, but Danzo and the other Elder Advisors arrived to challenge his authority.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha discussed whether to keep Samehada, then parted ways after returning from the Hokage Building.
• Hyuga Yu told Zou that Hiashi wanted to see him because he had heard Zou joined the ANBU.
• Hyuga Yu escorted Zou to the Main Family’s old residence, where Hizashi greeted them and said Hiashi had been waiting.
• Zou greeted Hizashi and reflected on how the Caged Bird Seal divided their clan despite their shared blood.

Zou Hyuga learned that Hiashi wanted him to remain in ANBU and gather intelligence for the Hyuga Clan. The next morning, he met Oto Uchiha at a training ground to experiment with chakra and complained about Samehada, while Oto asked what they were actually there to do.

• Hiashi asked Zou Hyuga to stay in ANBU and keep the Hyuga Clan informed about the village leadership.
• Oto Uchiha completed her morning training and saw the Fourth Hokage and Kushina visiting the Uchiha compound.
• Zou Hyuga met Oto and led her to an ordinary training ground away from the Forest of Death.
• Zou summoned Samehada and said he wanted to sell it and buy disguises for their missions.
• Oto reminded Zou that their objective was not to discuss outfits and asked what they had come to do.

Zou Hyuga tested Bell Cat’s strength after feeding it natural chakra, then treated its injuries and prepared to practice tracking and evasion with Oto Uchiha. The drill was interrupted by mysterious meowing, and Zou began searching for its source.

• Zou Hyuga summoned Bell Cat and used his Byakugan to confirm that it had absorbed natural chakra and grown stronger.
• Zou asked Oto Uchiha to test Bell Cat, and she defeated it without being touched.
• Zou discovered Bell Cat’s injuries were severe, but it refused his Medical Ninjutsu and accepted Explosive Tags as compensation.
• Zou fed Bell Cat more natural chakra and sent it away before he and Oto agreed to practice tracking and evasion.
• Mysterious meowing interrupted the drill, so Zou called it off and began investigating the sound.

Zou Hyuga experimented with his ability to control natural chakra and hear thoughts, using Bell Cat as a test subject. After exhausting Oto Uchiha and Bell Cat, he carried them back toward the village and wondered whether the ability might also reach Kisame.

• Bell Cat used one of Zou Hyuga’s Explosive Tags to blast carp in Cat Village, then was summoned back by Oto Uchiha and Zou Hyuga.
• Zou Hyuga confirmed that he could hear Bell Cat’s thoughts and teased him with mustard while discussing his discovery with Oto Uchiha.
• Zou Hyuga’s experiments showed that he could control Bell Cat’s natural chakra and hear his thoughts, though doing so consumed substantial chakra.
• Zou Hyuga considered testing the ability on Kisame but decided to conserve chakra, then fed Bell Cat dry rations.
• Bell Cat refused to return to Cat Village immediately, and Zou Hyuga helped the exhausted Oto Uchiha onto his back before carrying her and Bell Cat toward the village.

Zou Hyuga accepted the Hyuga Main Family’s assignment to use his ANBU connection to arrange an audience with the Fourth Hokage. When he went to find Kakashi, he found Kakashi sparring with Might Guy and was drawn into an awkward reunion.

• Zou Hyuga reflected on exhausting Oto during their mission and on the Main Family’s request to approach the Fourth Hokage through Kakashi.
• Zou Hyuga went to the Hatake residence but found Kakashi sparring with Might Guy in a nearby forest.
• Kakashi and Might Guy exchanged taijutsu and genjutsu until they finished with the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Zou Hyuga offered Kakashi a gift, while Guy excitedly recognized him from their academy days.
• Guy asked Zou Hyuga whether he and Kakashi were on the same squad and where the Uchiha who used to follow him had gone.

Zou Hyuga persuaded Might Guy to train at a waterfall, then accompanied Kakashi to the Namikaze residence and left a gift and letter for the Fourth Hokage. When he returned home, he found Hyuga Yu and Oto Uchiha chatting together, leaving him bewildered.

• Zou Hyuga asked Kakashi to help arrange a private visit with the Fourth Hokage, and Guy interrupted them to challenge Zou to a youth showdown.
• Zou Hyuga encouraged Guy to train at a waterfall and try to make it flow backward with his punches, and Guy left to begin training.
• Kakashi invited Zou Hyuga to the Namikaze residence, where they met Kushina, Mikoto, and Itachi while the Fourth Hokage was away.
• Zou Hyuga gave Kushina a gift and left a letter for the Fourth Hokage before returning to the Hyuga clan grounds.
• Zou Hyuga found Hyuga Yu and Oto Uchiha sharing tea and conversation in his home.

Minato Namikaze struggled to gain authority as the Fourth Hokage while the elder advisors obstructed his efforts, and he planned a diplomatic trip to sign a peace treaty with Iwagakure. The chapter ended with Minato preparing to leave the village with Jiraiya and Kakashi's team, while Kushina recognized that he intended to challenge the old guard.

• Oto Uchiha hurried away after seeing Hyuga Yu, who questioned Zou Hyuga about his visit to Kushina and Mikoto.
• Hyuga Yu learned that Kushina and Mikoto remained close and left, while Zou considered experiments involving different forms of chakra.
• Minato returned home frustrated that the elder advisors were blocking his efforts to reclaim full command of the ANBU.
• Kushina told Minato that Zou had delivered a letter from Hiashi inviting him to visit the Hyuga Clan Compound.
• Minato read Hiashi's invitation and told Kushina that he would travel to the Land of Earth to sign a peace treaty with Iwagakure.
• Minato said Jiraiya and Kakashi's team would accompany him, and Kushina realized he meant to challenge the Third and the elder advisors.

Kakashi struggled with guilt over Rin’s death as Minato assigned him to join Oto and Zou for a mission. Outside the village, Oto and Zou sparred with the indebted Bell Cat while preparing tactics meant to counter ANBU.

• Kakashi woke from recurring nightmares about killing Rin and went to the ANBU base.
• Minato told Kakashi he could still call him sensei and ordered him to summon Oto and Zou for a mission.
• Minato reflected on his limited control over village affairs and hoped his diplomatic mission to the Land of Earth would help him change Konoha’s policies.
• Kakashi tracked Oto and Zou to a training ground outside the village after finding they were not at the Ninja Academy.
• During the spar, Zou defeated the Bell Cat’s sneak attack with Gentle Fist, while Oto laid underwater explosive tags and a concealed wire trap as preparation for fighting ANBU.

Oto Uchiha defeated Zou Hyuga in a spar before Kakashi summoned their squad to meet the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth assigned the three-member ANBU team to escort him on a visit to the Land of Earth, leaving Zou resentful that he and Oto remained in ANBU.

• Oto Uchiha used fire release to burn the poison from Zou Hyuga's wire trap, then defeated him in their spar.
• Zou Hyuga sensed someone approaching, and he and Oto identified the newcomer as Captain Kakashi.
• Kakashi told Oto and Zou that Minato-sensei had summoned their squad and brought them to the Hokage Office.
• The Fourth Hokage explained that Asuma had left the ANBU squad for personal reasons, leaving Kakashi, Oto, and Zou as a three-member team.
• The Fourth assigned the ANBU team to escort him on his upcoming visit to the Land of Earth.

Oto Uchiha and Zou Hyuga defeated the Ōtsutsuki threat, ending the Fourth Shinobi World War and leaving them with immense influence over the shinobi world’s future. Oto announced the war’s end as the assembled shinobi recognized their victory.

• Madara and Hashirama reflected on the battle’s stakes as Fugaku predicted that the shinobi side would win the war.
• Oto returned from the battle, separated Black Zetsu from Obito, and sent Black Zetsu to reunite with Kaguya in another dimension with Zou Hyuga.
• Oto left Obito’s fate to Zou, who said Nagato and Konan could decide what happened to their enemy.
• Zou told the Akatsuki members that their mission was over and that no Ōtsutsuki threat would reach the shinobi world for at least ten years.
• Zou and Oto returned to the Five Kage and the assembled shinobi, who understood that the Ōtsutsuki had been defeated.
• Oto announced that the Fourth Shinobi World War had ended.

Years after the war, Oto Uchiha ruled as Fifth Hokage while Zou Hyuga helped govern and prepared the Shinobi World for Otsutsuki threats. They and Kaguya defeated Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki, leaving Zou ready to plan his wedding with Oto.

• Oto Uchiha became the Fifth Hokage and imposed stricter limits on the ninja clans while promoting commoner ninja.
• Oto passed her paperwork to Zou Hyuga, and they ordered the Akatsuki to eradicate a cult worshipping the Otsutsuki.
• After Toneri warned them that three Otsutsuki were approaching, Zou and Oto went to the moon to prepare for battle.
• Momoshiki and Kinshiki headed for the moon while Urashiki slipped into the Shinobi World, where the Ley Line Consciousness defeated him.
• Zou, Oto, and Kaguya ambushed and subdued Momoshiki and Kinshiki, then Zou began preparing for his wedding with Oto.