Chapter Summaries

Mei Terumi exposed that Akatsuki had controlled Yagura and, with Xuan Zhe’s backing, became the Fifth Mizukage as Konoha and Kirigakure formed an alliance. After Tsunade approved the pact, Mei traveled to Konoha with Xuan Zhe and the others, where the alliance was welcomed by a huge crowd.

• Mei Terumi told Kirigakure’s ninja that Akatsuki had controlled Yagura, and Xuan Zhe arrived to support her claim and demand that she become the Fifth Mizukage.
• Xuan Zhe announced a formal alliance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, then silenced objections by claiming Genji had been killed by the Three-Tails.
• Minato Namikaze took Kakashi back to Konoha, while Shisui, Itachi, Rin Nohara, Konan, and Xuan Zhe remained in Kirigakure to investigate or look around.
• Tsunade approved the alliance, and Xuan Zhe and the others escorted Mei Terumi to Konoha to sign the agreement.
• On the journey, Rin Nohara and Mei Terumi lamented their parting, while Hozuki Mangetsu spoke with Xuan Zhe about fighting stronger opponents.
• Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure delegation arrived in Konoha to a huge celebration as villagers welcomed the alliance.

Mei Terumi proposed a marriage alliance with Hatake Xuanzhe to strengthen ties between Kirigakure and Konoha, provoking Tsunade and Kurenai Yuhi. Nawaki suggested Tsunade marry Xuan Zhe first and Mei become his secondary wife, and Mei agreed while Tsunade tacitly accepted.

• Shisui and Itachi heard villagers praise the Uchiha for helping secure the alliance, and they hoped their clan could reconcile with Konoha.
• Mei Terumi met Tsunade and Konoha’s officials, formally marking the alliance between Kirigakure and Konoha before proposing a marriage alliance with Xuan Zhe.
• Tsunade rejected the proposal during a leaders’ meeting, while Kurenai Yuhi grew angry at Mei Terumi’s attempt to marry Xuan Zhe.
• Nawaki proposed that Tsunade marry Xuan Zhe first and Mei Terumi join the family later as his secondary wife.
• Mei Terumi accepted Nawaki’s arrangement, and Tsunade’s refusal to object was taken as tacit agreement; Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi began considering what the arrangement might mean for them.

Hatake Xuanzhe married Tsunade and then Mei Terumi, strengthening ties between Konoha and Kirigakure. After Mei returned to Kirigakure to prepare Haku as her successor, Kurenai Yuhi urged Rin Nohara to press Tsunade for their own marriages, while a White Zetsu Clone passed the news to Obito.

• Hatake Xuanzhe and Tsunade held a lavish wedding at the end of Konoha Year 54.
• Mei Terumi married Hatake Xuanzhe on her twenty-second birthday, and she said she would train Haku to become a Mizukage candidate before leaving Kirigakure leadership.
• Mei Terumi returned to Kirigakure a week after the wedding, prompting Kurenai Yuhi to urge Rin Nohara to help persuade Tsunade to accept their marriages to Xuan Zhe.
• A White Zetsu Clone overheard Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara's conversation and reported it to Obito, who left using Kamui.
• Tsunade returned home to find Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara eagerly waiting on her, and Xuan Zhe's humming sounded from the courtyard.

Tsunade decided to step down as Hokage, with Minato Namikaze expected to succeed her. As Shisui and Itachi worried about rising tensions between the Uchiha and the village, Itachi discovered Fugaku meeting a masked stranger who urged him to act before Minato took office.

• Tsunade announced that she was quitting as Hokage and named Minato Namikaze as her expected successor.
• Shisui reassured Itachi that their efforts could ease tensions between the Uchiha and the village, though Itachi feared fighting might break out.
• Fugaku left the family dinner, and Itachi followed him after noticing his father had been acting strangely.
• Itachi found that Fugaku had not gone to the Konoha Military Police Force and realized he was elsewhere.
• Fugaku met a masked figure beside the Uchiha stone tablet, and the stranger urged him to act before Minato became Hokage.

Obito manipulated Uchiha Fugaku into conspiring with Kumogakure against Minato Namikaze, while Konoha investigated Fugaku’s suspicious behavior. The plot was set to unfold on Minato’s inauguration day, when the Third Raikage planned to enter Konoha using the Heavenly Transfer Technique.

• Obito told Fugaku that the village would never trust the Uchiha and showed him Hatake Xuanzhe’s billion-ryō bounty, posted by the Third Raikage.
• Itachi reported Fugaku’s suspicious behavior to Tsunade, and Konoha’s leaders discussed the risk of the Uchiha rebelling and the difficulty of clearing their name while Obito remained uncaught.
• Tsunade warned Itachi not to watch Fugaku too closely, and Itachi later found that his father’s daily routine appeared completely normal.
• Obito revealed that Fugaku had used a shadow clone to evade Itachi’s surveillance and said the Third Raikage was willing to cooperate against Konoha.
• Fugaku said he wanted to kill Minato rather than attack Konoha, and Obito arranged for the Third Raikage to cause chaos during Minato’s inauguration with support from the Uchiha.
• Obito explained that the Third Raikage could use Kumogakure’s Heavenly Transfer Technique to enter Konoha despite its barrier.

Obito backed a plan to make trouble for Hatake Xuanzhe while Uchiha Fugaku’s clan grew increasingly tense, prompting Xuanzhe to suspect Obito was pushing the Uchiha toward a coup. As Minato Namikaze’s inauguration approached, the Uchiha-led Military Police Force escalated its violent crackdowns, leaving Tsunade to confront the worsening crisis.

• Obito told White Zetsu and Black Zetsu that he only wanted to make life difficult for Hatake Xuanzhe, while they warned that his plan would fail without the Ten-Tails’ power.
• Shisui told Xuan Zhe that senior Uchiha clansmen were gathering at the Konoha Military Police Force, and Xuan Zhe suspected Obito was inciting Uchiha Fugaku.
• Xuan Zhe told Shisui to watch for Obito and indicated that Shisui would have to use Ryūjin Jakka if he could not track him down.
• Hinata Hyuga said she felt someone watching her, so Xuan Zhe asked her to stay with him while he tried to draw the watcher out.
• The Konoha Military Police Force beat a drunk who accused the Uchiha of causing the Nine-Tails attack, and the Anbu intervened before both sides were arrested.
• Tsunade reviewed reports of the Uchiha’s increasingly harsh enforcement as Minato Namikaze’s inauguration approached.

Itachi discovered that Fugaku planned an Uchiha uprising on the day Minato took office as Fifth Hokage, despite knowing the clan had little chance against Konoha. After Tsunade ordered the rebels killed and promised not to punish uninvolved Uchiha, Itachi stepped forward to object.

• Shisui realized Fugaku had been using a Shadow Clone to evade surveillance, and Itachi suggested questioning Uchiha Tekka to learn where Fugaku had gone.
• Itachi found Fugaku beneath Naka Shrine and urged him to abandon the uprising, revealing that Obito Uchiha had caused the Nine-Tails incident and that the Uchiha had taken the blame.
• Fugaku admitted the clan had almost no chance of winning but said it would act in five days, on the day Minato took office, and revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Shisui and Itachi reported to Tsunade that Fugaku had gathered every Uchiha combatant ranked Chunin or above and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Tsunade ordered the two hundred Uchiha rebels killed during the inauguration while sparing clan members who had not joined the rebellion.
• Itachi stepped forward to stop Tsunade, warning that the surviving Uchiha would never clear their name if Fugaku and the others were allowed to act.

Itachi proposed taking sole responsibility for the Uchiha rebellion to protect the surviving clan members. Meanwhile, Xuan Zhe fought Otsutsuki Masato and Toneri, but just as he was about to kill Toneri, he and Hinata were pulled into a strange space and confronted by an ancient guardian.

• Itachi told Minato Namikaze and Tsunade that he would bear all the blame for the planned Uchiha rebellion.
• Xuan Zhe fought Otsutsuki Masato while Hinata Hyuga and Otsutsuki Toneri watched nearby.
• Xuan Zhe overwhelmed Masato with Ryūjin Jakka and pinned Toneri beneath his foot.
• As Xuan Zhe prepared to kill Toneri, he and Hinata were transported into an empty space covered by shallow water.
• An aged voice introduced itself to Xuan Zhe and Hinata as a guardian from the age of Ninshu named [Pre-Hamura].

Xuan Zhe and Hinata met Hamura Otsutsuki’s lingering chakra, who explained how the Ōtsutsuki Kāma could preserve its caster and even enable resurrection. Hamura offered to awaken Hinata’s hidden eye potential, but warned that doing so would consume his remaining chakra as he revealed a threat tied to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Xuan Zhe recognized Hamura Otsutsuki in the mental space, and Hinata was surprised to learn who he was.
• Hamura explained that the Ōtsutsuki used Kāma to leave chakra in descendants, preserving it across reincarnations and potentially allowing the caster to take over a host and resurrect.
• Xuan Zhe asked Hamura to awaken Hinata’s eyes, and Hamura said his chakra could draw out her potential, though he could not predict how far it would develop.
• Hamura said awakening Hinata’s power would use up his last chakra and send him to the Pure Land of Bliss for good.
• Hamura revealed that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been summoned away and that someone carrying his mother’s will was making plans, which he hoped someone would stop.

Hamura Otsutsuki passed his power to Hinata, and Xuan Zhe took her north to train instead of returning to Konoha. Meanwhile, Itachi asked Minato and the other Konoha leaders to help him prevent the Uchiha coup, while Xuan Zhe captured a Kumogakure squad and questioned Samui about its plans.

• Hamura Otsutsuki told Hinata she would need time to absorb his power before awakening its full potential, then vanished from the mental space.
• Xuan Zhe summoned a puppy that ran off with Otsutsuki Toneri, then took Hinata north to train rather than returning for Minato's inauguration.
• Itachi told Minato and the assembled Konoha leaders that he planned to stop the Uchiha coup alone, and Minato promised to protect the clan.
• Xuan Zhe and Hinata entered a tavern near the Land of Hot Water's border, where Xuan Zhe recognized the supposed bounty hunters as Kumogakure ninja.
• Hinata attempted Hamura's Yin-Yang Rotation but failed to master it, while Xuan Zhe defeated the Cloud Ninja and captured Samui.
• Xuan Zhe demanded that Samui reveal Kumogakure's scheme, but she remained silent.

Samui revealed Kumogakure’s plan to attack Konoha during Minato’s inauguration, and Xuan Zhe decided to head for Kumogakure rather than return to the village. Meanwhile, Itachi prepared to eliminate the Uchiha threat, but arrived at Naka Shrine to find Fugaku had already subdued the assembled clan.

• Samui tried to kill herself, but Xuan Zhe threatened war against Kumogakure and pressured her to reveal its plans.
• Samui disclosed that the Raikage planned a coordinated attack on Konoha with the Uchiha, while Yugito Nii and B led separate forces toward the Land of Fire.
• Hinata worried that they would not reach Konoha before Minato’s inauguration, but Xuan Zhe said they were going to Kumogakure instead.
• Itachi told Shisui to protect Sasuke, Mikoto, and the Uchiha after he carried out his plan, then went to Naka Shrine as Fugaku gathered the clan.
• Minato and Shisui sealed the shrine’s perimeter, but Itachi found more than two hundred Uchiha unconscious under Fugaku’s genjutsu.
• Fugaku explained that his Mangekyō Sharingan had allowed him to subdue the clan, and Itachi warned that one person could not take on Konoha alone.

Itachi carried out the Uchiha massacre at Naka Shrine and made his family believe he killed Fugaku and the hardliners to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan. He left Sasuke alive with a vow of revenge, while Jiraiya learned Minato would become the Fifth Hokage and chose not to return to Konoha.

• Fugaku told Itachi that he and the rebellious clansmen had no way back, asked him to protect Mikoto and Sasuke, and gave him a scroll for Minato.
• Itachi emerged from Naka Shrine and told Minato and Shisui that the rest of the plan was his to handle.
• Mikoto, Sasuke, and other Uchiha families arrived at the shrine, where Itachi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to show them an illusion of himself slaughtering Fugaku and two hundred clansmen.
• Itachi told Sasuke that killing the person he cared about most had awakened his Mangekyō, then kicked Sasuke away and urged him to live for revenge.
• Jiraiya read Minato’s letter announcing his inauguration as Fifth Hokage and decided not to return to Konoha.

Jiraiya found Kumogakure destroyed by fire and discovered Xuan Zhe standing over its wounded shinobi. In Konoha, Fugaku’s testament exposed a planned alliance between Kumogakure and the Uchiha to attack during Minato’s succession ceremony.

• Jiraiya saw the northern sky blazing and hurried into the Land of Lightning, paying the innkeeper before he left.
• Jiraiya reached Kumogakure and found the village reduced to wreckage, with shinobi, women, and children scattered among the ruins.
• Xuan Zhe appeared with Hinata and Samui, told Jiraiya that the Raikage and two jinchūriki were absent, and ordered the injured Dodai to send a message to the Raikage.
• Dodai revealed that he suspected an Uchiha betrayal, while Xuan Zhe threatened Darui to make him comply.
• Konoha’s leaders read Fugaku’s testament, which accused Madara Uchiha of arranging a Kumogakure attack during Minato’s succession ceremony, and Tsunade realized how devastating the plot could have been.

Tsunade postponed Minato’s inauguration after the Uchiha incident, but accepted Xuan Zhe’s message that Konoha need not search for Kumogakure’s forces. Obito recruited Itachi after their clash, while the Third Raikage returned to find Lightning Cloud Canyon engulfed in flames.

• Tsunade ordered compensation for the Uchiha victims, continued the search for Obito, and postponed the inauguration.
• Gerotora delivered Jiraiya’s letter saying that he and Xuan Zhe were in Kumogakure and that Konoha did not need to search for the hidden force.
• The Third Raikage prepared his Kumogakure ambushers to attack Konoha during Minato’s inauguration.
• Obito found Itachi at the Land of Rivers border, absorbed his Amaterasu, and clashed with him using Susanoo before offering him a place in his organization.
• The Third Raikage returned to Lightning Cloud Canyon with roughly five hundred Kumogakure ninja and found it engulfed in flames.

The Third Raikage recalled Kumogakure’s forces after learning Hatake Xuanzhe had threatened the village, then led them into an ambush arranged by Xuanzhe and Mei Terumi. Xuanzhe declared his intention to replace Kumogakure’s leadership, and the battle began with Hatake Sakumo facing the Third Raikage.

• The Third Raikage recalled Killer B, Yugito Nii, and Kumogakure’s troops after receiving Dodai’s warning that Hatake Xuanzhe had attacked the village.
• Yugito Nii suggested kidnapping Rin Nohara to use as leverage, and the Third Raikage considered sending her into Konoha.
• Killer B spotted an ambush as Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi appeared on the surrounding cliffs with Xuanzhe and Mei Terumi.
• Xuanzhe told the Third Raikage he would spare Kumogakure but kill its leaders and install Hatake Sakumo as the Fourth Raikage.
• Hatake Sakumo clashed with the Third Raikage, while Xuanzhe ordered the allied forces to leave no Kumogakure shinobi alive.
• Mei Terumi embraced Xuanzhe as the battle erupted, and he noticed Haku and the eight-year-old Linglong among the fighters.

Konoha and Kirigakure fought Kumogakure in the canyon as Minato Namikaze arrived and helped turn the battle against the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails. After Xuan Zhe decided to capture the jinchūriki, Hozuki Mangetsu began manifesting the Three-Tails’ power.

• Killer B transformed into the Eight-Tails and blasted a path through the mountainside with a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Minato Namikaze teleported it away.
• Minato attacked the Eight-Tails alongside Jiraiya, who entered Sage Mode and struck Kumogakure ninja with an enormous Rasengan.
• Two-Tails ran out of chakra and returned to human form, while Shisui Uchiha declared that she had been dealt with.
• Xuan Zhe ordered Two-Tails captured and considered replacing the Eight-Tails jinchūriki because Killer B was unlikely to surrender.
• Hozuki Mangetsu began emitting red bubbles as three tails formed behind him, and his attacks with Hiramekarei grew stronger.

Hatake Xuanzhe’s allied forces defeated Kumogakure, and Hatake Sakumo became the Fourth Raikage while Killer B agreed to have the Eight-Tails transferred to Haku. As the Shinobi World reeled from the upheaval, Minato Namikaze replaced Tsunade as Hokage and Shisui became Uchiha Clan Head.

• Xuan Zhe left the canyon as Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo moved to attack the Third Raikage, and the battle ended with Kumogakure’s defeat, Yugito Nii and Killer B captured, and the Third Raikage dead.
• Hatake Sakumo took office as Fourth Raikage, while Kumogakure’s wealth went to Kirigakure.
• Killer B agreed to cooperate with Minato Namikaze’s plan to transfer the Eight-Tails into Haku after Xuan Zhe promised not to harm the rest of Kumogakure.
• Xuan Zhe dismissed Shisui’s concern that he planned to take control of Iwagakure and left the Raikage’s Office.
• Tsunade stepped down as Hokage, Minato Namikaze became Fifth Hokage, and Shisui became Uchiha Clan Head as news of Itachi’s massacre and Kumogakure’s defeat spread.

Shisui Uchiha decided to move the Uchiha Clan from Konoha to Kumogakure, where Hatake Xuanzhe’s influence and the village’s need for people made a new start possible. As the clan departed, Naruto confronted Sasuke, and Mikoto chose to stay in Konoha with him.

• Nawaki suggested that Shisui move the Uchiha Clan to Kumogakure, and Shisui returned to discuss the idea with his clan.
• At the end of Konoha Year 56, Shisui decided that the entire Uchiha Clan would relocate to Kumogakure.
• Mikoto told Sasuke about the move, and Sasuke said he would go wherever she went while vowing to protect her and kill the person he believed had murdered his father and elder brother.
• A week later, Naruto rushed to the village gate and challenged Sasuke for leaving without settling who was better, while Kushina dragged Naruto away.
• Mikoto told Shisui that she and Sasuke would stay in Konoha, and Shisui led the rest of the Uchiha Clan toward Kumogakure.

After years of peace, Hatake Xuanzhe married Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi with only a civil registration, while White Zetsu and Black Zetsu chose not to alert Obito. By Year 60, Naruto and Sasuke were twelve-year-old rivals, and Naruto’s graduation remained uncertain because the Nine-Tails’ Chakra disrupted his ninjutsu.

• Uchiha Mikoto praised Shisui as a future Clan Head, while Sasuke vowed to kill the man he hated and Shisui left without answering.
• Orochimaru suggested using Rin Nohara’s wedding to lure out Obito, but Xuanzhe rejected the plan and chose a simple marriage registration for Rin and Kurenai Yuhi.
• White Zetsu spotted Xuanzhe and the two women at the Civil Affairs Bureau, but Black Zetsu decided not to tell Obito and insisted they focus on the Tailed Beast plan.
• In Year 60, Kushina Uzumaki scolded Naruto over his poor report card, and Naruto escaped through a window as Minato Namikaze tried to calm her.
• Naruto encountered Sasuke in the street, argued with him, and soon grappled with him as villagers watched; Naruto’s graduation prospects were uncertain, while Sasuke remained one of the top students.

Xuan Zhe watched the graduating class receive their team assignments and joked about the students’ antics in the Hokage’s Office. Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10 met their leaders, while Naruto learned that his own team’s Jonin would be late.

• Naruto passed the Genin exam, and Xuan Zhe visited Minato Namikaze to watch the class through the surveillance feed.
• Naruto and Sasuke argued in class, and Sakura Haruno accidentally stumbled into Sasuke and kissed him as Naruto and Sasuke reenacted the same scene.
• Iruka announced the assignments: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha formed Team 7; Hinata, Shino, and Kiba formed Team 8; and Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji formed Team 10.
• Kurenai Yuhi arrived to lead Team 8, and Rin Nohara arrived to lead Team 10.
• Xuan Zhe told the students that their leader would be his nephew, who was nearly always at least three hours late to gatherings.