Chapter Summaries

Xia Yan confronted Danzo after Hiruzen Sarutobi acknowledged him as a qualified Hokage candidate and accepted Danzo’s death. Danzo’s forces failed to stop Xia Yan, and the chapter ended with Xia Yan trapping Danzo and Baku in Wood Release before unleashing a Great Fire Dragon Technique.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Xia Yan that he considered him capable of becoming Hokage and accepted that Xia Yan had to defeat him to prove himself.
• Danzo ordered Root ninja to attack Xia Yan, but Xia Yan used the Jōgan and Flying Thunder God Technique to defeat them without killing them.
• Danzo tried to escape by blasting through Root headquarters, but Xia Yan pursued him and stopped him near the Hokage Building.
• Xia Yan exposed Danzo’s attacks and injured him, then trapped Danzo and his summoned Baku with Wood Release.
• Xia Yan invoked Hiruzen Sarutobi’s words about Konoha and launched Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique at the trees holding Danzo and Baku.

After killing Danzo, Natsuhiko took control of Root’s external operations and the Medical Department’s experimental division, then planned research using Hidan while checking his growing powers. In the Land of Rain, Nagato described Natsuhiko’s eyes to Obito and Black Zetsu, who realized they sounded like the Tenseigan rather than the Jōgan.

• Natsuhiko spent the aftermath of Danzo’s death reorganizing Root’s forces outside Konoha and taking charge of the Medical Department’s experimental division.
• Natsuhiko planned to use Hidan for pharmaceutical and ninjutsu experiments, while noting that Orochimaru and Kabuto were advancing their own research.
• Natsuhiko checked his status panel and saw that his unique mission progress had risen to 45 percent after Danzo’s death.
• In the Land of Rain, Obito arrived with Black Zetsu and found Nagato weakened and shaken by his defeat at Natsuhiko’s hands.
• Nagato described Natsuhiko’s azure, light-streaming eyes, and Black Zetsu concluded that they sounded like the Tenseigan, not the Jōgan.

Black Zetsu deceived Nagato into believing Senju Natsuhiko’s Jōgan were the eyes of destruction, restoring Nagato’s resolve and persuading Obito to help control him. Meanwhile, Xia Yan harvested beginner Yin Release and a Sharingan Primal Power Seed from the tree holding Uchiha Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving him to consider the seed’s use.

• Black Zetsu told Nagato that the Jōgan were destructive eyes destined to oppose his Rinnegan, and Nagato regained his determination to defeat Senju Natsuhiko.
• Nagato questioned why Senju Natsuhiko was so powerful, and Black Zetsu claimed that Nagato needed to understand and train with the Rinnegan while offering to restore his body.
• In Kirigakure’s Mizukage’s Office, Obito questioned Black Zetsu’s plan, and Black Zetsu explained that he would secretly alter Nagato’s body to control him.
• Xia Yan visited his orchard to pursue Dust Release and harvested beginner Yin Release and a Sharingan Primal Power Seed from the tree containing Uchiha Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Xia Yan welcomed the Yin Release but wondered what the Sharingan Primal Power Seed did and considered giving it to someone else.

Senju Natsuhiko fused Yin Release and Yang Release, creating Yin-Yang Release with only 1% progress, while Kumogakure's Fourth Raikage prepared to exploit Konoha's apparent weakness. Natsuhiko learned of Kumogakure's growing military activity and heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to send Naruto back to school when he was old enough.

• Senju Natsuhiko gained Yin Release, then fused it with Yang Release and unlocked Yin-Yang Release at 1% progress.
• The Fourth Raikage reviewed intelligence on Senju Natsuhiko and planned to contain him before attacking Konoha.
• The Fourth Raikage judged Konoha weakened after the war and decided Kumogakure should seize what it had lost.
• Senju Natsuhiko received a report from Kakashi that Kumogakure was gathering forces in the Land of Hot Water.
• Kakashi told Senju Natsuhiko that Hiruzen Sarutobi was recovering and planned to have Naruto return to school when he was old enough.

Xia Yan planned to use the looming conflict with Kumogakure to build Konoha’s alliances and strengthen his own claim to become Fifth Hokage. Meanwhile, Minato recovered on Mount Myōboku, grew close to the Nine-Tails, and learned that Naruto would return to Konoha under Kakashi’s care; Xia Yan ended the chapter considering what to do with powers he had nurtured.

• Xia Yan accepted that Minato kept informed about Konoha through Kakashi, and Kakashi faced the prospect of looking after Naruto when the boy returned.
• Minato told Kushina that Konoha remained stable, revealed that Shimura Danzō had paid the price for Xia Yan and Hiruzen’s contest, and reflected on his growing friendship with the Nine-Tails.
• Xia Yan planned to draw Sunagakure and Iwagakure into a coalition against Kumogakure, using Anbu contacts and newspaper stories to pressure the village and showcase his strength.
• Little Nine-Tails appeared beside Xia Yan after sensing Isobu’s chakra, and Xia Yan considered whether to give the powers he had nurtured independent life or merge them into Little Nine-Tails.

Xia Yan merged the Three-Tails’ chakra into Little Nine-Tails, who retained his personality while gaining control of both beasts’ powers. The fusion activated an optional Ten-Tails Jinchuriki mission, and Xia Yan turned his attention to Kumogakure’s tailed beasts as a chance to advance his plans; in Iwagakure, Ōnoki examined a Konoha newspaper and ordered his people to collect earlier issues.

• Xia Yan hesitated over the risks of merging the Three-Tails’ chakra into Little Nine-Tails, but Little Nine-Tails assured him that the fusion should be safe and could let him wield both beasts’ powers.
• Xia Yan ate the Three-Tails Chakra Fruit, and its chakra entered Little Nine-Tails before the two chakras fused; Little Nine-Tails emerged with his awareness and personality unchanged.
• Little Nine-Tails explained that Xia Yan’s chakra linked the two compatible tailed-beast powers, though their incomplete chakra continuity prevented a full fusion, and confirmed he could grow the Three-Tails’ power and use Three-Tails Chakra Mode.
• Xia Yan checked his system panel and discovered an optional Ten-Tails Jinchuriki mission, then decided that the coming conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure would give him an opportunity to obtain more tailed-beast chakra.
• Ōnoki considered Kumogakure’s looming conflict with Konoha and received a newspaper containing village intelligence and other reports; after learning it was published in the Land of Fire, he ordered a Stone Ninja to collect past issues.

Ōnoki decided to meet the newspaper company president, prompting Xia Yan to send Nara Shikashiro to negotiate under a false identity. As Xia Yan welcomed Pakura and Renka to his home, Shōma Senju arrived and privately asked whether Xia Yan had killed Danzo.

• Ōnoki concluded that he could not block the newspapers and arranged to meet their company president.
• Xia Yan and the Anbu leadership chose Nara Shikashiro to represent the newspaper, and Shikashiro prepared to meet Ōnoki under the alias Uesugi Rokujō.
• Xia Yan invited Pakura to dinner and discussed Shikashiro's mission with her and Renka on the way home.
• Xia Yan found Shōma Senju waiting at his home and went with him to the balcony for a private talk.
• Shōma Senju asked Xia Yan whether he had killed Danzo.

Xia Yan confirmed that he had killed Danzo, briefed Shōma Senju on his schemes, and declared his goal was to become Hokage. As Nara Shikashiro secured newspaper access to the Land of Earth by negotiating with Ōnoki, Xia Yan prepared for the newspaper office’s next steps while keeping his attention on the looming conflict with Kumogakure.

• Xia Yan admitted to Shōma Senju that he had killed Danzo, then explained his actions involving Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the newspaper office before declaring he wanted to become Hokage.
• Nara Shikashiro met Ōnoki in the Land of Grass, presented himself as Uesugi Rokujō, and negotiated terms for the Shinobi World Daily to enter the Land of Earth.
• Shōma Senju began transferring the Senju Clan’s resources and information to Xia Yan, but Xia Yan asked him to keep managing the clan while Xia Yan focused on the Anbu and the potential war with Kumogakure.
• Renka delivered Shikashiro’s report to Xia Yan, who praised the agreement and began planning how to present the newspaper office’s mysterious president to Ōnoki.
• Shikashiro offered Ōnoki favorable coverage and tax payments in exchange for support, while Xia Yan considered using a disguise or his Tailed Beast Disguises if needed.

Xia Yan monitored Kumogakure’s delegation after they signed a treaty with Konoha and suspected their peace offer was a pretext for an attack. When the delegation’s leader abducted Hinata to provoke a conflict, Xia Yan confronted him and prepared to rescue her.

• Xia Yan explained to Kakashi that Kumogakure might use the death of its envoys as a pretext for war, and Kakashi’s Anbu teams began monitoring the delegation.
• The delegation stayed in Konoha, gathered intelligence, and later used shadow clones to scatter, while its leader slipped into the Hyuga Clan grounds.
• The Kumogakure leader captured Hinata and drew Hyuga Hiashi toward him, but Xia Yan appeared and blocked Hiashi’s attack.
• Xia Yan revealed that the leader had taken poison and described how Kumogakure intended to blame the Hyuga Clan for his death, demand Byakugan, or start a war.
• When the leader pressed his kunai against Hinata’s throat, Xia Yan vanished and appeared behind him, saying he would act himself.

After Xia Yan killed the Kumogakure Head Ninja who had threatened Hinata, Konoha faced Kumogakure’s demand for the culprit or war. Shikaku Nara uncovered how newspapers had shaped public opinion, and when Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to surrender the culprit designated by the Raikage, Shikaku proposed that he and Hyuga Hiashi seek Senju Natsuhiko.

• Xia Yan rescued Hinata and killed the Kumogakure Head Ninja, while Hyuga Hiashi realized the incident could leave the Hyuga Clan exposed to Konoha’s political choices.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi convened a meeting where Shikaku Nara urged Konoha to stabilize the situation, deny responsibility, and prepare for war, but Hiruzen asked whether they should surrender the killer to avert conflict.
• Shikaku Nara reconsidered Konoha’s growing division between clan identities and village loyalty, then reviewed the newspapers and recognized their subtle promotion of resistance to Kumogakure’s demands.
• After Kumogakure offered Konoha the choice of handing over the culprit or going to war, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to surrender the person the Raikage had designated.
• Shikaku Nara told Hyuga Hiashi of Hiruzen’s decision, and, as Hiashi angrily protested, Shikaku proposed that they go see Senju Natsuhiko.

Xia Yan rallied Konoha’s clans and shinobi against Hiruzen Sarutobi’s plan to surrender Hyuga Hiashi, while Kumogakure escalated its threats into preparations for war. As Hiruzen lost control of the village, the Fourth Raikage led Kumogakure’s forces toward Konoha.

• Shikaku Nara and Hyuga Hiashi approached Xia Yan for support, and Shikaku concluded that Xia Yan was building a base to become Hokage.
• Hyuga Hiashi pledged the Hyuga Clan’s support to Xia Yan and the Fourth Hokage in exchange for help against Kumogakure’s demand to hand him over.
• Xia Yan directed Shikaku Nara to summon sympathetic clan heads, directors, and Jonin, then argued that Konoha could not surrender Hiashi without damaging the village’s unity and standing.
• At Anbu Headquarters, Shikaku Nara explained the crisis, and the assembled shinobi backed resistance to Kumogakure’s demands while Xia Yan urged them not to lose hope.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi found Hiashi absent and learned that Shikaku Nara had gathered Konoha’s leaders without him; the next day, Kumogakure issued an ultimatum after Konoha sent a forceful diplomatic report.
• The Fourth Raikage assembled Kumogakure’s forces, declared that they would demand justice from Konoha, and ordered them to march.

Xia Yan took command as Konoha prepared for war against Kumogakure and led a four-thousand-shinobi force toward the Land of Hot Water front. As Konoha’s troops marched, Xia Yan hinted that an Anbu operation was already underway to make Kumogakure concentrate its forces for a decisive battle.

• Xia Yan realized Kumogakure dared to send the Raikage and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki because the Raikage could use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to return quickly if his village was attacked.
• Xia Yan won Hiruzen Sarutobi’s reluctant approval to lead Konoha’s war effort, then ordered four thousand shinobi to reinforce the two thousand already gathered at the front.
• Shikaku Nara reported Konoha’s available forces, accepted responsibility for logistics, and chose to accompany Xia Yan as his adviser rather than command the main force himself.
• Konoha mobilized within two days, and Xia Yan led the four-thousand-strong force out of the village as residents praised him and criticized Hiruzen Sarutobi’s abandoned plan to hand over Hyuga Hiashi.
• Shikaku Nara asked Xia Yan about his strategy, and Xia Yan said an Anbu operation was already underway to draw Kumogakure’s troops together for a large-scale battle.

Nara Shikashiro persuaded Ōnoki to mass Iwagakure’s troops at the border, while Xia Yan led Konoha’s army toward the front and planned to draw Kumogakure into battle. After a small Cloud Ninja force attacked a supply outpost, Xia Yan went alone to confront them, and Shikaku Nara and the clan leaders hurried after him.

• Nara Shikashiro told Ōnoki that Xia Yan wanted Iwagakure to join the war, and Ōnoki agreed to invest in the newspaper and mass troops at the border.
• Xia Yan and Shikaku Nara discussed drawing Kumogakure’s forces to a plain, and Xia Yan revealed that Shikashiro had persuaded Ōnoki to mobilize.
• A Hyuga shinobi reported that about a hundred Cloud Ninja had broken through and attacked a Konoha supply outpost.
• Xia Yan ordered the exhausted main force to rest and went alone to deal with the Cloud Ninja.
• Shikaku Nara gathered Hyuga Hiashi and other clan representatives to follow Xia Yan, and they froze when they reached the outpost.

Senju Natsuhiko destroyed Kumogakure’s raiding force with Flying Thunder God and Wood Release, raising Konoha’s morale but leaving no survivors to question. At the stronghold, he delegated tactical planning to Shikaku Nara as the Fourth Raikage prepared a probing attack for dawn.

• Senju Natsuhiko used Flying Thunder God to kill nearly ten Cloud Ninja before revealing himself as Konoha Nightingale and trapping the rest with Wood Release.
• Shikaku Nara and the other clan leaders found more than a hundred Kumogakure shinobi dead, and the main force gained confidence after seeing Natsuhiko’s power.
• The Fourth Raikage learned that his raiding force had vanished and ordered a thousand fast shinobi to attack Konoha’s stronghold at dawn to identify its defenders.
• Shikaku Nara warned Senju Natsuhiko that Kumogakure might launch a small, intense raid and assessed the likely force’s mobility and strength.
• Senju Natsuhiko assigned Shikaku Nara responsibility for tactical details while keeping strategic decisions for himself.

Xia Yan inspected Shikaku Nara’s defenses before facing the Fourth Raikage, who led Kumogakure’s assault on the stronghold. Their battle left the Raikage unable to land a hit, and Xia Yan ended the chapter blocking his charge with Wood Release.

• Xia Yan used his Jōgan to inspect Shikaku Nara’s traps and reinforcements, then spotted the Fourth Raikage leading Kumogakure’s force.
• Kumogakure broke through the first defensive line, and Xia Yan sent Shikaku Nara to fight the Cloud Ninja while he confronted the Fourth Raikage.
• Xia Yan used Flying Thunder God to evade the Raikage’s attacks and repeatedly struck him, but Lightning Release Chakra Mode kept the Raikage’s defenses intact.
• The Fourth Raikage charged Xia Yan with Lightning Release: Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop, and Xia Yan stopped him with Wood Release: Wood Formation Wall.

Xia Yan fought the Fourth Raikage at Konoha’s stronghold, using Wood Release and Sage Mode to wound and suppress him. After the Raikage decided to cover his troops’ retreat, Xia Yan announced he was getting serious and unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

• The Fourth Raikage attacked Xia Yan’s Wood Formation Wall, but Xia Yan entered Sage Mode and used Wood Release: Tree Root Burial to force him into a destructive exchange.
• The battle’s shock waves killed shinobi from both sides, prompting the remaining Konoha and Kumogakure forces to retreat while Shikaku Nara held back his troops.
• Xia Yan dodged the Fourth Raikage’s attacks and stabbed him with a senjutsu-infused blade, piercing his defenses and forcing the Raikage to recognize the danger he posed.
• Killer B waited at Kumogakure’s camp and saw the returning troops arrive with the Fourth Raikage in an unusually battered state.
• The Fourth Raikage decided to cover his subordinates’ retreat and later join forces with Killer B, while Xia Yan challenged him over the Cloud Ninja’s deaths.
• Xia Yan warned the Fourth Raikage that he would have to remember the dead for his remaining troops and himself, then began Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Xia Yan routed the Fourth Raikage’s thousand-man force with Wood Release, leaving Kumogakure badly battered and Konoha emboldened. As Shikaku Nara prepared Konoha’s next move and Ōnoki approached the battlefield, Kumogakure’s leaders planned to lure Konoha toward a plain suited for a counterattack.

• Xia Yan unleashed Wood Release, overwhelmed the Fourth Raikage, and helped Konoha inflict heavy casualties on Kumogakure’s force.
• The injured Fourth Raikage consulted Killer B and Dodai, who advised him to fortify Kumogakure’s defenses and stabilize morale.
• Shikaku Nara reported Konoha’s victory to Xia Yan and outlined a plan to make Kumogakure shift its defensive lines.
• Xia Yan received an Anbu report that Iwagakure had mobilized and that Ōnoki was traveling toward the battlefield.
• Ōnoki learned that the Fourth Raikage was injured and that Konoha and Kumogakure were deadlocked, then continued toward the front.
• Dodai warned the Fourth Raikage that Konoha was advancing toward a plain where Kumogakure could charge and trap them.

Xia Yan and Shikaku Nara’s plan lured Kumogakure into driving Konoha’s forces onto the plains, setting up a decisive battle. As Kumogakure prepared to attack at dawn, Ōnoki suspected Konoha had deliberately created its apparent crisis and wondered which side would meet its doom.

• Xia Yan and Shikaku Nara reviewed their pressure campaign against Kumogakure, and Xia Yan told him to keep Konoha’s main force from advancing once both armies assembled.
• Dodai explained to the Fourth Raikage that Kumogakure needed to crush Konoha quickly, while an Anbu report that Konoha had halted prompted Dodai to urge an attack.
• Kumogakure attacked from three directions, surrounding hundreds of Konoha shinobi and forcing the main force toward the designated plains as Xia Yan’s plan reached its final stage.
• Kumogakure drove Konoha onto the plains, and the Fourth Raikage ordered Dodai to launch the final offensive the next morning.
• Kitsuchi questioned why Ōnoki was still observing the battlefield, but Ōnoki suspected Konoha had engineered its predicament and said it remained unclear whose doom was approaching.

Xia Yan activated his Jōgan Chakra Mode and advanced alone against Kumogakure’s assembled army, overwhelming its forces with his speed and strength. After a devastating warm-up, he summoned a Wood Release Giant and declared that none of the Cloud shinobi would escape, leaving Kumogakure facing what Shikaku Nara believed was its end.

• Hyuga Hiashi reported that Kumogakure had assembled under the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, and Xia Yan revealed his Jōgan’s terrifying chakra before heading out alone.
• Xia Yan’s presence unnerved Kumogakure’s forces until they charged him without waiting for orders, while Shikaku Nara ordered Konoha’s troops to hold back.
• Xia Yan used taijutsu and Flying Thunder God to cut through the Cloud army, killing and scattering shinobi as Konoha’s commanders watched in disbelief.
• The Fourth Raikage and Killer B charged Xia Yan, but he evaded them and warned that none of their people would escape.
• Xia Yan summoned a towering Wood Release Giant, and the Fourth Raikage realized Xia Yan had lured Kumogakure’s main force into a trap.
• Shikaku Nara explained that Kumogakure could not retreat without inviting an invasion, and concluded that the village was likely finished.

Xia Yan overwhelmed Kumogakure’s army with Wood Release, forcing Killer B to unleash the Eight-Tails’ full power and the Fourth Raikage to fight desperately. After surviving their combined assault and a Tailed Beast Bomb without injury, Xia Yan left them facing despair.

• Xia Yan’s Wooden Golem devastated Kumogakure’s forces, and Killer B transformed into the Eight-Tails to stop it.
• Xia Yan unleashed Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, whose poisonous pollen incapacitated and trapped Cloud Ninja as Konoha’s leaders watched.
• The Fourth Raikage and Killer B’s Eight-Tails grew stronger, while Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s troops to prepare to advance toward Kumogakure.
• Xia Yan expanded his Wooden Golem to a hundred meters, summoned a Wood Dragon, and challenged the Raikage and Killer B to defeat him before their trapped troops died.
• The Fourth Raikage attacked Xia Yan while the Eight-Tails struck with its full strength and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, setting the forest ablaze.
• Xia Yan emerged from the smoke unharmed, leaving the Fourth Raikage and Killer B despairing.