Recaps

Xia Yan decided to plant the unexpected Sealing Jutsu seed despite worrying that it would drain too much of his chakra. Afterward, he wondered how Hiruzen Sarutobi would react to Minato Namikaze spending time with him and prepared to see what the Third Hokage would do.

• Xia Yan considered whether powers absorbed by plants had caused him to harvest seeds with different attributes and decided to test the idea by having Kakashi use Lightning Release on a tree.
• Xia Yan weighed the benefits of planting the Sealing Jutsu seed against the time it would take to mature and the strain on his chakra, then chose to plant it for the prospect of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Xia Yan used his Senju Secret Technique to absorb the seed, which settled near his heart and began maturing at one percent while consuming his chakra.
• Xia Yan wondered how Hiruzen Sarutobi would respond to Minato Namikaze spending time with him and reflected that he was investing in both sides only on his own behalf, not for the Senju Clan.

Xia Yan reflected on the Senju Clan’s involvement and kept his Sage Mode secret, then returned to the Anbu and reunited with Kakashi. The Captain assigned Xia Yan and Kakashi to investigate disappearances at Shuzaki Castle, where a previous Konoha squad had vanished.

• Xia Yan decided to leave the Senju Clan’s affairs alone for now and keep his Sage Mode hidden.
• Xia Yan met Kakashi at the Anbu, and Kakashi described how he was reconnecting with old friends during his break.
• The Captain summoned Xia Yan and Kakashi and gave them a mission report about strange disappearances at Shuzaki Castle.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi learned that visitors and even an entire Konoha squad had gone missing at the castle.

Xia Yan and Kakashi traveled to Shuzaki Castle to investigate people disappearing there, and Xia Yan suspected the castle was a monster. After discussing the possibilities and preparing for either a human enemy or a creature, Xia Yan planned to retrieve a Summoning Scroll from the monster while relying on his skills to escape if necessary.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi reached a town near the capital of the Land of Fire and settled in at an inn.
• Kakashi visited Xia Yan and pointed out a pattern in the disappearances connected to Shuzaki Castle.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi considered whether an organization was abducting people or a monster was feeding on them.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi to investigate carefully and prepare to act against either possibility.
• After Kakashi left, Xia Yan recalled that a Summoning Scroll was inside the lizard-like monster and assessed his chances of escaping if needed.

Xia Yan and Kakashi investigated the disappearances around Shuzaki Castle and concluded that a giant summoned lizard was responsible. Xia Yan identified the only remaining complication as the unknown people watching them and considered dealing with them.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi gathered intelligence in Shuzaki Castle and noticed that someone was watching them, especially near the castle and a graveyard.
• Xia Yan concluded that human experimentation was unlikely because they had found no evidence of people being moved or bodies being disposed of.
• Kakashi suggested that a monster might be responsible for the disappearances, and Xia Yan noted that a creature could consume people without leaving remains.
• Kakashi recalled that Shuzaki Ganza had once possessed an enormous summoned beast, and Xia Yan confirmed that a giant lizard was likely behind the attacks.
• Xia Yan considered the lizard’s summoner a possible concern but said the people watching them were the only trouble left.

Xia Yan suspected that the people monitoring him were survivors of Shuzaki Castle who guarded a Summoning Scroll, and he went to the cemetery to investigate. He confronted a middle-aged man who warned him to leave, and the encounter ended with a threat of death.

• Xia Yan reasoned that Shuzaki Ganza may have hidden the Summoning Scroll in his grave or inside the summoned beast, and that the watchers could be the castle’s surviving orphans.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi to rest and said the team would head for the castle after confirming a few things, then left alone for the cemetery.
• Xia Yan sensed the watchers following him more closely as he approached the cemetery and concluded that something there matched his suspicions.
• Xia Yan entered the dark cemetery and challenged the watchers to come out.
• A middle-aged man said the cemetery belonged to the Shuzaki Castle Warriors and ordered Xia Yan to leave, but Xia Yan demanded answers, and the man threatened that one of them would die.

Xia Yan attacked the Shuzaki Castle survivors in the cemetery, killing several of the weaker ninja and using a clone to blow up the others. The Jonin was left as his sole opponent.

• Xia Yan confirmed the group were the survivors he sought and began fighting them after the Jonin threatened him.
• Xia Yan killed a Genin and a Chunin, then another Chunin grabbed his Ninja Blade and detonated an Explosive Tag, destroying the blade.
• Four Chunin- and Genin-level ninja charged Xia Yan to avenge Hayato and their other fallen comrades.
• The Jonin sensed that the Xia Yan they were attacking was a clone loaded with chakra and warned them, but the explosion killed or incapacitated them.
• Xia Yan watched the fallen ninja from a treetop and turned to face the Jonin alone.

Xia Yan challenged Shōma Senju to recognize the lack of a clear plan for reviving the Senju, while Shōma urged him to contribute to the clan and continue the Wood Release bloodline. Meanwhile, Ōnoki learned of Xia Yan’s devastating attack on Sunagakure and worried about the danger he posed to Iwagakure.

• Xia Yan reflected that Shōma Senju had pursued the Senju Clan’s revival without a concrete plan, and kept his own intentions and intelligence-gathering role secret.
• Xia Yan warned Shōma that the Third Hokage remained influential, and Shōma acknowledged that Xia Yan had his own goals and plans.
• Shōma told Xia Yan to change residences, offered to arrange help with daily life, and asked him to contribute to the clan by continuing the Wood Release bloodline.
• Reports of Xia Yan’s attack on Sunagakure spread through the Shinobi world as he returned to Konoha.
• Ōnoki assessed the losses Xia Yan had inflicted on Sunagakure and feared that his skills and ability to strike deep behind enemy lines could devastate Iwagakure.

Xia Yan learned that Shōma Senju had arranged for him to live with Senju Renka as his future partner, then an Uchiha clansman led him to meet an elderly Uchiha. Xia Yan quietly ordered nearby Anbu to support him, and they began moving to carry out his assignment as he approached the old man.

• The Fourth Raikage studied Xia Yan’s battle record and felt both wary of Konoha and eager to fight him.
• Xia Yan moved into a better house and discovered that Shōma Senju had arranged for Senju Renka to live with him as his future partner.
• An Uchiha clansman stopped Xia Yan, asked whether he was Fukami Natsuhiko, and led him to a teahouse to meet an elderly Uchiha.
• Xia Yan spotted Anbu nearby and discreetly signaled them before following the Uchiha upstairs.
• The Anbu squad leader recognized Xia Yan as Captain Nightingale and sent for reinforcements to carry out Xia Yan’s assignment quietly.
• Xia Yan approached the elderly Uchiha while the squad leader transformed and headed toward the teahouse.

Xia Yan met with Uchiha Shin, who sought to build a channel between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha’s leadership. Xia Yan ended the meeting after revealing that the teahouse had been surrounded by Anbu and hinting that his position exceeded that of an ordinary Anbu member.

• Xia Yan recognized Uchiha Shin as an elder of the Uchiha Clan, while Shin identified him as Kakashi’s Anbu squad leader.
• Uchiha Shin explained that he had approached Xia Yan because he wanted to reach Kakashi and believed Xia Yan’s words carried greater weight.
• Uchiha Shin said he and other Uchiha favored reconciliation with Konoha and wanted to maintain contact with the Hokage, while more radical voices gained influence in the clan.
• Xia Yan asked whether Shin wanted him to report their conversation to the Third or Fourth Hokage, but Shin did not give a clear preference.
• Xia Yan ended the meeting, and Uchiha Shin realized that the other tea drinkers were Anbu who had surrounded them.
• Xia Yan told Uchiha Shin not to arrange another meeting that way and said he was neither an ordinary shinobi nor an ordinary Anbu.

Xia Yan told Minato Namikaze that Uchiha Shin wanted to build ties between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage through the Anbu, and Minato granted Xia Yan limited authority to handle the matter. Later, Xia Yan proposed to Hiruzen Sarutobi that they let some Uchiha join the Anbu and encourage the faction favorable to Konoha.

• Xia Yan dismissed his Anbu escort and went to the Third Division headquarters, where Trout reported that Kakashi was training and Pakura remained in custody.
• Xia Yan used a marked kunai to summon Minato Namikaze to Pakura's cell and told him about Kakashi's upcoming mission and Uchiha Shin's approach.
• Xia Yan recounted Uchiha Shin's proposal, and Minato authorized him to meet Shin discreetly and exercise limited authority.
• Xia Yan briefed Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Uchiha matter, and Hiruzen asked him to oppose the proposal by invoking the Uchiha and Senju rivalry.
• Xia Yan instead suggested admitting some Uchiha into the Anbu to strengthen the faction favorable to Konoha, and Hiruzen found the idea interesting.

Danzo was stripped of his positions, while Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted to reports of Jiraiya attacking Xia Yan during a mission. Xia Yan planned changes to the Anbu and administrative department, and Uchiha Shin decided to cooperate with Senju Natsuhiko for the sake of peace; the chapter ended with Xia Yan taking Senju Renka out for dango.

• Danzo raged over his punishment but resolved to endure, while Hiruzen Sarutobi blamed his own past indulgence and confirmed Danzo would live in retirement.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed the daimyo payments and learned that Jiraiya had attacked Xia Yan during a mission, prompting him to suspect Xia Yan was making his move.
• Xia Yan planned better Anbu compensation, access to its ninjutsu archive, and an expanded Administrative Affairs Department, considering Senju Renka and others for staff roles.
• Uchiha Sora advised Uchiha Shin that his clan could resist its leader for peace as its predecessors had resisted Madara Uchiha, and Shin decided to accept Senju Natsuhiko's offer of cooperation.
• Xia Yan invited Senju Renka to eat dango, explaining that he had once used it to comfort a girl but had never tried it himself.

Xia Yan met with Senju Renka at the Dango Shop and revealed that he had become Anbu Director after killing the former Director, then asked her to help reform the Anbu. Their conversation was interrupted by Uchiha Sora and Uchiha Shin, and Xia Yan revealed his new title to them.

• Xia Yan brought Renka to the Dango Shop, where he explained that he was now Anbu Director and had killed the previous Director for refusing to deploy the Anbu during the Nine-Tails Incident.
• Xia Yan asked Renka to help him reform the Anbu, warning that her work could expose her to its deepest intelligence.
• Uchiha Shin recalled how Xia Yan had defended Sora from bullies in their childhood and first shared dango with her.
• Sora and Shin entered the crowded Dango Shop, where Sora greeted Xia Yan and met Renka.
• Shin addressed Xia Yan as Squad Leader, and Xia Yan told him that he should now call him Director.

Xia Yan revealed to Uchiha Shin and Sora that he had become Director of the Anbu, then negotiated deeper cooperation with Shin and offered Renka a chance to prove herself. As Xia Yan left the shop, Sora asked whether she could join the Anbu too.

• Xia Yan told Uchiha Shin and Sora that he was the Director of the Anbu, shocking them both.
• Xia Yan reassured Sora that they were still friends and offered her sweet dumplings, while Uchiha Shin recognized their closeness.
• Uchiha Shin declared that he would cooperate more deeply with Xia Yan and help the Uchiha integrate into Konoha.
• Renka agreed to prove herself in the Anbu and revealed that she was Xia Yan's fiancée, surprising Sora and Shin.
• Xia Yan proposed recruiting younger Uchiha with battlefield experience and reforming the Military Police Force by including civilian and other-clan shinobi.
• As Xia Yan and Renka left the shop, Sora stopped Xia Yan and asked whether she could join the Anbu.

Xia Yan arranged Anbu reforms, questioned Yamato about Orochimaru’s experiments, and brought him into the Anbu. Uchiha Sora began her assessment under Renka, while Xia Yan headed to a laboratory to search for evidence and materials.

• Xia Yan told Renka to assess Uchiha Sora and devised a Secretariat with separate secretarial systems and a squad to protect and monitor its staff.
• Xia Yan questioned Yamato, who blamed Orochimaru for the Wood Release experiments and said Danzo had saved him; Xia Yan had Senju Yo and the others watch Orochimaru.
• Xia Yan told Yamato he would serve in the Anbu under the name Yamato, and Kakashi took him away.
• Renka met Sora and began her assessment after Sora said she would do her best and would not disappoint Xia Yan.
• Xia Yan went to a laboratory associated with Orochimaru and Danzo, sent a lizard to search for flesh and other materials, then put on a disguise and vanished to join it.

Orochimaru encountered Xia Yan raiding his underground laboratory and fought him, learning that Xia Yan could wield Nine-Tails Chakra with extraordinary speed and perception. After gathering intelligence, Orochimaru destroyed the laboratory and escaped, while Xia Yan’s raid continued.

• Orochimaru reflected on Danzo’s failed attack on the teacher and recalled Xia Yan’s powerful Wood Release before sensing an intruder in the laboratory.
• Xia Yan used the little lizard’s chakra signal to enter the laboratory, steal Hashirama Senju’s cells, and search for documents, where Orochimaru attacked him.
• Xia Yan revealed that he wielded Nine-Tails Chakra, defeated Orochimaru’s defenses, and overwhelmed the Root guards as Orochimaru speculated that he belonged to a powerful organization.
• Orochimaru used clones, Earth Release, and the Kusanagi Sword to test Xia Yan, but Xia Yan perceived his moves and repeatedly struck him down.
• After assessing Xia Yan’s strength and sensory ability, Orochimaru used a new body, collapsed the laboratory with Earth Release, and escaped inside a giant snake.

Xia Yan forced Orochimaru to hand over his research reports, test-subject list, and pieces of Hashirama Senju’s corpse, then concealed his role in the attack while confronting Hiruzen Sarutobi at the ruined laboratory. After deciding to strengthen his Sage Mode, Xia Yan searched the Valley of the End and found a High-Level Senjutsu Chakra Seed.

• Orochimaru escaped the collapsing laboratory, but Xia Yan confronted him outside and demanded his research records, test-subject list, and pieces of Hashirama Senju’s corpse.
• Xia Yan left using the Flying Thunder God Technique, disguised his return as Senju Natsuhiko, and warned Orochimaru about the Nine-Tails attacker while pretending to know nothing about the fight.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the ruined laboratory, and Xia Yan challenged his authority to investigate before leaving the site.
• Sora told Uchiha Shin that she had joined the Administrative Affairs Office, and he celebrated her position in the Anbu.
• Xia Yan traveled to the Valley of the End and found a High-Level Senjutsu Chakra Seed.

Xia Yan strengthened the Anbu and set a plan in motion to expose Orochimaru’s experiments, hoping to force Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi into revealing their roles. The Anbu began spreading the information, while Xia Yan prepared to see how his former superior Antelope would respond to a dangerous test.

• Xia Yan reviewed the growth of the Anbu and its departments, noting that major clans had begun sending members as his policies took effect.
• Xia Yan ordered Kakashi and the other captains to reveal that the Anbu was investigating Orochimaru, then leak selected details to pressure those connected to him.
• Xia Yan told Renka that assigning Antelope to the operation would test his loyalty and asked her to identify suitable replacements if he failed.
• Xia Yan explained that the rumors were meant to push Danzo into sacrificing a pawn and draw scrutiny toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Xia Yan considered the trap he had laid for Orochimaru, Danzo, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, and asked whether they were ready.