Recaps

After the Nine-Tails attack, Xuan Zhe and Konoha confronted Obito’s schemes in Kirigakure and secured an alliance with Mei Terumi, who married Xuan Zhe after Tsunade did. The Uchiha’s tensions with Konoha remained unresolved, and Obito drew Fugaku into a plot to disrupt Minato’s inauguration and kill him.

• Obito abducted Kushina and unleashed the Nine-Tails, but Xuan Zhe stopped the beast and Minato sealed its yin half into Kushina and its yang half into Naruto.
• As Konoha rebuilt, suspicion fell on the Uchiha, while Shisui and Itachi worked to prevent a clan rebellion and Xuan Zhe identified Obito as the masked attacker.
• Xuan Zhe and Shisui confronted Obito and Nagato in Amegakure, but Obito escaped, and Shisui and Itachi later learned that Obito had framed the Uchiha.
• Minato’s team went to Kirigakure, where they exposed Obito’s control of Yagura and fought to contain the released Three-Tails, but Yagura died and Obito escaped again.
• Xuan Zhe helped Mei Terumi take power as Fifth Mizukage and establish an alliance between Kirigakure and Konoha, then married Tsunade and Mei Terumi.
• Tsunade announced that she would resign as Hokage and expected Minato to succeed her, while Itachi discovered that Fugaku was secretly meeting Obito.
• Obito showed Fugaku the bounty on Xuan Zhe and arranged a plan for the Third Raikage to cause chaos during Minato’s inauguration, with Fugaku agreeing to help kill Minato.

Xuan Zhe helped avert the Uchiha uprising and Kumogakure’s attack, while Minato became Fifth Hokage and Naruto’s generation entered the Chunin Exams. Orochimaru’s attack and the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki disrupted the finals, and the stretch ended with Xuan Zhe confronting Gaara as Shukaku emerged.

• Itachi exposed Obito’s role in the Nine-Tails attack, then staged the apparent slaughter of Fugaku and the Uchiha rebels to prevent the coup and protect the clan’s survivors.
• Xuan Zhe and Hinata discovered Kumogakure’s plan to attack Konoha, and Xuan Zhe led allied forces to defeat the village, killing the Third Raikage and capturing Yugito Nii and Killer B.
• Minato became Fifth Hokage, Shisui became Uchiha Clan Head, and most of the Uchiha relocated to Kumogakure while Mikoto and Sasuke stayed in Konoha.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura formed Team 7 and entered the Chunin Exams, where Naruto advanced to the finals but lost his match against Hinata.
• Orochimaru attacked Hiruzen during the exams, while Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki appeared above the arena and fought Xuan Zhe, Minato, and Hatake Sakumo.
• Hiruzen died after sealing Orochimaru’s hands, and Minato held Hiruzen’s funeral and assumed responsibility for Konohamaru.
• Before the postponed finals, Gaara went berserk and transformed as Shukaku emerged, so Xuan Zhe faced him while the others retreated.

Xuan Zhe trained Sasuke while investigating Sound Ninja activity, and Sasuke and Sakura were attacked by the Sound Four. Xuan Zhe and Tsunade intervened, and the arc ended as Kimimaro faced Xuan Zhe’s Zanpakutō and its black flames.

• Xuan Zhe persuaded Gaara to protect those who accepted him, then joined Konoha’s battle against Itachi and Kisame as they attacked the village.
• The Chunin finals concluded with Gaara defeating Sasuke and Naruto defeating Suigetsu, while Sasuke later accepted Xuan Zhe’s offer to train him.
• Xuan Zhe and Tsunade trained Sasuke in summoning, swordsmanship, and practical chores, and Xuan Zhe gave him Orochimaru’s Heavenly Cloth Flow Sword.
• Xuan Zhe, Tsunade, and Sasuke investigated signs of Sound Ninja in a forest, then returned to training after discovering the group had escaped underground.
• Tsunade took Sakura as her apprentice after Sakura impressed her, and Sakura later helped Sasuke work in the field.
• The Sound Four attacked Sasuke and Sakura, but Sasuke rejected their offer to join them and fought his way out of Jirobo’s Earth Release prison with Sakura’s help.
• The Sound Four captured Sakura and overwhelmed Sasuke, until Xuan Zhe arrived, rescued Sasuke, and defeated Kidomaru while Tsunade treated Sasuke.
• Kimimaro came with the Sound Ninja to claim Sasuke, and Xuan Zhe fought him as Tsunade faced the others, after Kimimaro broke Xuan Zhe’s wooden sword, Xuan Zhe drew his Zanpakutō and unleashed black flames.

Xuan Zhe defeated Otogakure’s forces, clashed with Akatsuki members, and traveled beyond Konoha while confronting pursuers and local threats. After returning to Konoha and losing Ichiro to an unseen attacker, he teamed up with Obito to pursue Sanxiong.

• Xuan Zhe and Tsunade defeated the Sound Ninja, persuaded Kimimaro to join them, and moved the group to Xuan Zhe’s Mansion.
• Xuan Zhe battled Yinzi’s bodyguards and Uchiha Qingche, then learned that the Bounty Exchange had put a bounty on his head.
• Xuan Zhe ambushed his pursuers, fought Sasori and Deidara, and later left Konoha to confront the Akatsuki on his own terms.
• Xuan Zhe defeated Kakuzu and chased Hidan before forcing Obito to retreat after a prolonged fight.
• Xuan Zhe traveled with Yoshiko Kawashima and Miyamoto Sansei, fought off bounty hunters, and stole a treasure pearl in the Land of Women.
• Xuan Zhe fought attackers at the Land of Women’s city gates, killed Matsushita, and then returned to Konoha to train Kimimaro and advise Sansheng.
• Ichiro begged Xuan Zhe for forgiveness after recognizing his black blade, but an unseen attacker stabbed Ichiro before Xuan Zhe could stop them.
• Xuan Zhe rejected Kara’s invitation and pursued Sanxiong for killing a Konoha Shinobi, then asked Obito to help deal with him.