Recaps

Hyuga Akira secretly approached Hiryūsuke and offered to help him become Daimyo, then the Daimyo died of an apparently natural heart condition. A phantom fox killed the favored heir, plunging the Capital of Fire into chaos and leaving Hatake Sakumo suspicious of Akira.

• Hyuga Akira followed the Daimyo through his garden and overheard him rebuke Hiryūsuke for questioning the taxes and the capital’s decline.
• Hyuga Akira visited Hiryūsuke in secret, asked whether he wanted to become Daimyo, and proposed killing both the Daimyo and his favored heir.
• Hatake Sakumo questioned Hyuga Akira about his suspicions, but Akira insisted he had done nothing while guarding the Daimyo.
• The Daimyo collapsed and died from a ruptured blood vessel in his heart, and Hatake Sakumo immediately suspected Hyuga Akira.
• A gigantic phantom fox swallowed the favored heir, while Hyuga Akira moved the Daimyo’s corpse out of its reach.
• Hatake Sakumo attacked the fox but passed through it, and the successful assassination of the Daimyo’s son sent the Capital of Fire into chaos.

Hyuga Akira used genjutsu and an identity switch to eliminate Hiryūsuke and take the Land of Fire’s Daimyo position, leaving Hatake Sakumo suspicious but unaware of the truth. After securing recognition from the lords, Hyuga Akira ordered Kazuma to assemble an elite shinobi force called the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

• After the Daimyo’s death, Hiryūsuke suppressed his brothers but worried that the nobles suspected him of killing the heir.
• Hiryūsuke poisoned the apparent Hyuga Akira and arranged for Hatake Sakumo and the others to kill him, while the real Hyuga Akira concealed the truth with genjutsu and an Incarnation.
• Hatake Sakumo sensed something was wrong as he and Hyuga Akira returned to Konoha, but he failed to identify the deception.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Hyuga Akira and Hatake Sakumo about the mission and asked where their teammate Kazuma was.
• Hyuga Akira took office as the Land of Fire’s Daimyo and received the lords’ recognition.
• Hyuga Akira instructed Kazuma to recruit elite jonin-level shinobi for the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Hyuga Akira urged Danzo to help him kill a Kage, but Danzo refused to start a war and rejected Akira’s suggestion to target the Uchiha. Akira then refereed a spar between Nawaki and Minato Namikaze, which ended with Nawaki launching a punch and kick.

• Hyuga Akira proposed killing a Kage, and Danzo objected to provoking a war before Konoha was ready.
• Danzo offered Hyuga Akira leadership of Root if he became Hokage, but Akira returned to discussing targets among the other villages.
• Hyuga Akira considered targeting the Third Kazekage and blamed Danzo’s ambition for his interest in attacking the Third Hokage.
• Hyuga Akira refused Nawaki’s challenge and suggested that Nawaki and Minato Namikaze spar instead.
• Hyuga Akira refereed as Minato Namikaze and Nawaki fought, with Nawaki using Strength of a Hundred Fist and Heavenly Foot of Pain.

Hyuga Akira joined Konoha Hospital as a medical ninja and proved so capable that its vice dean conceded he was better suited to lead it. After two peaceful years, Akira watched a group of ten Konoha shinobi approach the village and stop at the sight of an apparent Anbu member.

• Tsunade offered Akira a hospital position, and Hirota Kazuto angrily challenged her over who would become dean.
• Akira treated the hospital’s patients with remarkable speed, prompting Hirota to concede that Akira was more suited to be dean.
• Tsunade revealed that the medical prodigy was Flame Demon Hyuga Akira, and Hirota reacted with shock at the combat shinobi’s medical skills.
• Akira settled into a routine of working at the hospital by day and visiting Root and Hiruzen Sarutobi when he had time.
• Two years later, ten Konoha shinobi traveling through the Land of Fire stopped when their leader spotted an apparent Anbu member watching them from a tree.

Hyuga Akira led Root in wiping out a Uchiha squad, collected its Sharingan, and gained a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He then returned to Root, where Danzo pushed Orochimaru to continue experiments with Hashirama cells, leaving Orochimaru troubled about facing Tsunade and Nawaki.

• Hyuga Akira and Root ambushed and killed a Uchiha squad after the squad questioned their orders.
• Hyuga Akira collected the dropped items, fused the Sharingan, and acquired a Three-Tomoe Sharingan while raising his experience to 612548.
• Hyuga Akira urged Danzo to let Root assassinate the Kazekage, but Danzo refused and sent him away.
• Orochimaru told Danzo that experiments with Hashirama cells had made no progress despite nearly exhausting the Senju Clan members hidden in Konoha.
• Danzo ordered Orochimaru to produce results by any means necessary, and Orochimaru worried about how he would face Tsunade and Nawaki.

Hyuga Akira strengthened his abilities, awakened Machi’s chakra through a fused nen-chakra seed, and prepared to travel to the Land of Wind to kill the Kazekage. He secured three months of leave from Hiruzen Sarutobi, though Hiruzen doubted his claim that he was going sightseeing.

• Hyuga Akira raised his Fire Release and Nen Ability to level seven and Dragon Slayer Magic to level four, saving his remaining experience for emergencies.
• Hyuga Akira gave Machi a blue seed that awakened fused nen and chakra in her, then gave her seven days to train before their dangerous trip.
• Hyuga Akira visited Konoha Hospital, where his Medical Ninjutsu had reached level eight through experience gained while working there.
• Hyuga Akira told Hiruzen Sarutobi he wanted three months of leave to travel the Shinobi World, and Hiruzen questioned whether he was being truthful.

Hyuga Akira secured leave from Hiruzen Sarutobi and traveled toward the Land of Wind with Machi and two Root shinobi, disguised as a young nobleman. After joining a caravan bound for Gegeli, he continued toward Sunagakure, confident the trip would go as planned.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi granted Hyuga Akira leave after making him promise to keep his plans quiet and avoid causing trouble.
• Hyuga Akira explored Konoha, saw Might Duy and Hatake Sakumo, and reflected on Konoha's strength and the Uchiha police force.
• Hyuga Akira traveled toward the Land of Wind with Machi, Hyuga Sora, and Umitouza, concealing his identity and appearance.
• Hyuga Akira agreed to join a caravan heading to Gegeli after Umitouza learned its destination.
• Machi questioned whether entering the Land of Wind openly would alert Sunagakure, but Hyuga Akira told her to watch.

Hyuga Akira traveled through the Land of Wind under a cover identity, and his companions defeated a bandit attack before the group reached Gegeli. While Sand Ninja watched his Konoha escorts, Akira slipped away toward Sunagakure and located the Third Kazekage.

• Hyuga Akira accepted wind scarves from the merchant as the caravan entered the Land of Wind.
• Umitouza and Hyuga Sora killed the bandits who attacked the caravan.
• At Gegeli, Sand Ninja confronted Hyuga Sora and Umitouza, checked their cross-border certificates, and left them alone.
• Hyuga Akira toured Gegeli with his companions to keep the Sand Ninja focused on them, then transformed and slipped out of the city.
• Hyuga Akira used the Shadow World to enter Sunagakure and located the Third Kazekage with his Byakugan.
• The Third Kazekage reviewed paperwork while Sunagakure continued recovering from the war.

Hyuga Akira trapped the Third Kazekage and his Anbu in a Shadow World, then expanded his Game Instance and began attacking them. After killing one Anbu with a barrage of Flame Arrows, he realized that opponents still died if their bodies were completely destroyed.

• Hyuga Akira appeared in the Third Kazekage’s office, used shadow vines to drag the Kazekage and pursuing Anbu into the Shadow World, and was identified as the Konoha shinobi behind the attack.
• Hyuga Akira revealed his identity to the Third Kazekage and activated his Game Instance, enclosing the Shadow World in a blue barrier and explaining its rules.
• Hyuga Akira transformed the arena into a city and combined it with the shadow forest, while the Third Kazekage found that his iron sand could not reach beyond his circle of light.
• Hyuga Akira unleashed a gigantic fox against the Anbu, then flew to a high-rise and killed one Anbu with Unlimited Firepower.
• Hyuga Akira checked the experience gained and concluded that opponents could still die if their bodies were completely destroyed.

Hyuga Akira fought the Third Kazekage, trading Flame Arrows and fire techniques against iron sand while using his abilities to evade and counterattack. The Third Kazekage ultimately filled the city with iron sand and trapped Akira inside the Iron Sand World Method, leaving him surrounded with little room to move.

• Hyuga Akira bombarded the city with Flame Arrows, defeated the Anbu members, and turned his attention to the restrained Third Kazekage.
• The Third Kazekage survived Akira's Flame Arrow barrage inside a sphere of black iron, then attacked with Magnet Release and iron sand.
• Hyuga Akira used Naufra Activation, his Sharingan, and fiery techniques to dodge the Third Kazekage's attacks and land a lightning-fast strike.
• The Third Kazekage used Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method to enclose Hyuga Akira in a vast field of iron sand.
• Hyuga Akira realized the Third Kazekage had been producing iron sand throughout their battle and had left him with less and less room to move.

Hyuga Akira and the Third Kazekage fought an exhausting battle across the city, with both nearing their limits. Akira unleashed Fire Demon Mode and defeated the Kazekage with a final attack, though his own body was gravely wounded.

• Hyuga Akira used the Sharingan to disrupt the Third Kazekage's memories, but the Kazekage adapted and spread iron sand throughout the battlefield.
• Hyuga Akira and the Third Kazekage fought for a day, destroying much of the city as their chakra and strength dwindled.
• Hyuga Akira activated Fire Demon Mode and combined it with the Dragon Slayer Secret Art and Unknowing Fire form.
• The Third Kazekage unleashed Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method, but Hyuga Akira used the Substitution Technique to reach him and punch through his chest.
• The dying Third Kazekage asked whether Hyuga Akira was finished too.

Hyuga Akira killed the Third Kazekage, lifted his chakra restriction, and escaped Sunagakure through the Shadow World. He returned to Gegeli's Inn, where Umitouza and Hyuga Sora greeted him after his mission was complete.

• Hyuga Akira leveled up and regenerated from his injuries, then killed the Third Kazekage and won the battle.
• Hyuga Akira completed his quest to hunt a Kage, lifted his chakra restriction, and received over a million experience points.
• Hyuga Akira inspected his drops, including Magnet Release, the Strongest Title Emblem, and the Sure-Hit Bow.
• Hyuga Akira rode the Fox Demon out of Sunagakure through the Shadow World while the Sand Ninja searched for the missing Kazekage.
• Hyuga Akira returned to Gegeli's Inn and told Umitouza and Hyuga Sora that he had finished what he needed to do.

Hyuga Akira and his companions were forced to leave the Land of Wind while Sunagakure searched for its missing Kazekage, whom Akira admitted to having killed. After returning to Konoha, he faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, who doubted his confession and threatened to suspend him.

• Sand Ninja confronted Hyuga Akira’s group, exposed Rain Woman’s disguise, and ordered the foreigners to leave the Land of Wind.
• Akira led his group out of the country while two Sand Ninja followed them and had planted a surveillance puppet in their carriage.
• Akira told his companions that he had killed a Kazekage and gave Machi a scroll containing the Third Kazekage’s Magnet Release technique.
• Machi began studying Magnet Release as the carriage reached Konoha.
• Anbu escorted Akira to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who demanded to know what had happened in the Land of Wind.
• Akira confessed that he had killed Sunagakure’s Kazekage, but Hiruzen dismissed the claim and threatened to suspend him.

Hyuga Akira left Konoha’s leadership unconvinced after admitting he had killed the Kazekage, but Danzo believed him and allowed him to choose Wind Release techniques from Root’s collection. The chapter left Akira heading to the storage room while Hiruko’s new Chimera Technique and position in Root came to light.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi suspended Hyuga Akira from duty and took his forehead protector after refusing to believe his account.
• Hyuga Akira returned home, and Hyuga Xia Nai asked to learn shinobi skills, so he arranged for Machi to teach her after getting Danzo’s approval.
• Hyuga Akira told Danzo he had killed the Kazekage, and Danzo believed him and considered how Konoha could benefit from Sunagakure’s weakened position.
• Danzo gave Hyuga Akira access to Root’s ninjutsu collection so he could obtain Wind Release techniques.
• Hyuga Akira encountered Hiruko outside the storage facility, suspected he had acquired the Chimera Technique, and continued inside.

Hyuga Akira fused several Wind Release techniques into a powerful new skill while planning how to obtain the remaining chakra releases and eventually target the Tailed Beasts. After teasing Tsunade the morning after bringing her home drunk, he returned to his routine and was visited by Nawaki.

• Hyuga Akira spent 780,000 experience points upgrading Wind Release techniques, fused their traits, and raised the resulting Wind Release skill to level five.
• Hyuga Akira considered obtaining the remaining releases and Tailed Beast chakra, but decided he was not yet strong enough to kill a Tailed Beast.
• Hyuga Akira found Tsunade drunk on the street, took her home, and left without anything happening between them.
• Tsunade woke beside her bed, attacked Hyuga Akira, and shouted that she would not let him get away with teasing her.
• Hyuga Akira returned home, wondered why the Hyuga Clan had not come looking for Hyuga Xia Nai, and spent three days relaxing.
• Nawaki visited Hyuga Akira after finishing a mission.

Hyuga Akira fought Jiraiya after Jiraiya challenged him over Tsunade, then defeated him with Time Arc. Jiraiya accepted that he would stop pursuing Tsunade, while Hyuga Akira insisted nothing had happened between them.

• Nawaki called Hyuga Akira a womanizer and approved of him moving Tsunade on from Dan, but objected to his other relationships.
• Jiraiya arrived and challenged Hyuga Akira to a duel, with the loser agreeing to leave Tsunade alone.
• Hyuga Akira and Jiraiya exchanged attacks in the Konoha Forest, using flames, water techniques, and substitutions.
• Hyuga Akira reversed Jiraiya's Water Candy Binding Rope with Time Arc, kicked him unconscious, and earned experience.
• Jiraiya woke and said he would stop pursuing Tsunade, while Hyuga Akira explained that he had only meant to scare her.

After Tsunade injured Jiraiya and Hyuga Akira, the three discussed Hatake Sakumo’s rising reputation and the prospects of the Hokage position. Danzo summoned Akira and asked whether he could defeat Sakumo, and Akira admitted he was not confident.

• Tsunade overheard Jiraiya and Hyuga Akira arguing and unleashed a massive attack that devastated part of Konoha Forest, leaving both men badly injured.
• Orochimaru visited Jiraiya and Akira in the hospital, where Akira explained that he had fought Jiraiya and won by a move.
• Orochimaru and Akira watched Hatake Sakumo return to a crowd of admirers, and Akira said the Hokage position was contested by people who would not give it up.
• A Root crow delivered a message to Akira, who went to Danzo’s office and found him furious about Sakumo’s growing reputation.
• Danzo asked Akira whether he could deal with Hatake Sakumo, and Akira said he was not confident he could win.

Hyuga Akira learned that Danzo planned to destroy Hatake Sakumo’s reputation rather than kill him, while Akira’s missions remained suspended. When Akira, Nawaki, and Minato Namikaze discovered signs that Kushina had been abducted, Akira identified the Cloud Ninja involved and their escape route.

• Danzo asked Hyuga Akira whether he could ruin Hatake Sakumo, and Akira said he would fight him but would not scheme against him.
• Danzo explained that he wanted to damage Hatake Sakumo’s reputation so he could compete for Hokage without weakening Konoha’s fighting strength.
• After learning Hiruzen Sarutobi had suspended his missions, Hyuga Akira complained to Danzo and later grumbled about it to Nawaki and Minato Namikaze.
• Hyuga Akira, Nawaki, and Minato Namikaze heard a cry for help and found strands of Kushina’s red hair in the grass.
• The three Cloud Ninja escorting Kushina continued toward the forest’s exit, while Hyuga Akira determined that two Cloud Ninja had distracted Konoha and that the remaining three had abducted her.

Hyuga Akira rescued Kushina from three Cloud Ninja with Flame Arrows, then healed her and collected rewards from the defeated enemies. Back in Konoha, he gave Nawaki a recovery item and watched Minato Namikaze, Kushina, and Nawaki compete over becoming Hokage, while Hatake Sakumo warned Kakashi to stay away from him.

• Minato Namikaze rushed ahead to rescue Kushina, while Hyuga Akira killed the three Cloud Ninja with Flame Arrows.
• Hyuga Akira used Kumate on Kushina, making Minato Namikaze and Nawaki touch the painful bubble, then collected a Fighting Server Invitation and two breathing forms.
• In Konoha, Hyuga Akira gave Nawaki Breath of the Archangel to celebrate his passing the Jonin exam.
• Minato Namikaze, Kushina, and Nawaki each declared that they would become Hokage after spotting Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi.
• Hatake Sakumo noticed Hyuga Akira and told Kakashi that he was Konoha's most dangerous man and should be avoided.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo discussed Hatake Sakumo’s growing support as the next Hokage, and Danzo began plotting to undermine him. Hyuga Akira agreed to help set a trap for Hatake Sakumo in exchange for Impure World Reincarnation, while Hatake Sakumo’s team began its mission in the Land of Wind.

• Danzo urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to prevent the villagers from acknowledging Hatake Sakumo as the next Hokage, and Hiruzen stayed silent.
• Danzo summoned Hyuga Akira to Root and offered him Impure World Reincarnation if he helped prepare a trap for Hatake Sakumo.
• Hyuga Akira accepted the mission and asked whether he could kill Hatake Sakumo, but Danzo ordered him not to.
• Hyuga Akira disguised himself and a Root squad as Sand Ninja and entered the Land of Wind to set up the trap.
• Hatake Sakumo led two Konoha Jonin into the Land of Wind to meet a spy carrying intelligence about Sunagakure.

Hyuga Akira arranged to intercept Hatake Sakumo’s team and kill a Root spy carrying intelligence about Sunagakure’s missing Kazekage. When Hatake Sakumo went to meet the spy, Root ambushed his team, and Akira confronted him after he defeated several attackers.

• Hatake Sakumo and two Root members entered Rendezvous City in disguise and decoded a message directing them to meet a spy outside the city.
• Hyuga Akira met the spy first, confirmed the spy’s intelligence about Sunagakure’s Kazekage, and killed him under Danzo’s orders.
• Akira ordered Root members to prepare to fight Hatake Sakumo, and the next day Sakumo left the city with his companions to meet the spy.
• Root shinobi sprang a trap, trapping Sakumo’s team in a wind barrier and forcing the companions apart as Sakumo reached the spy’s body and found the hidden intelligence.
• Hatake Sakumo killed several Root attackers, but Hyuga Akira pulled the spy’s corpse away and challenged him to a fight.
• Hyuga Akira used Thunder Breathing to increase his speed, and Hatake Sakumo vanished from his sight before their blades clashed again.

Hyuga Akira trapped Hatake Sakumo in a deadly duel and used captured Root shinobi as leverage to keep him from taking the mission intelligence. Hatake Sakumo hesitated between securing the objective and saving his comrades.

• Hatake Sakumo repeatedly countered Hyuga Akira's genjutsu through instinct, leaving Akira wounded in their close-range battle.
• Hyuga Akira enclosed them in a Windless Zone, but Hatake Sakumo shattered the barrier and escaped after Akira was thrown outside.
• Four Root shinobi arrived with two captured shinobi, and Hyuga Akira placed a blade against one captive while presenting the corpse containing the intelligence.
• Hatake Sakumo faced a choice between taking the mission objective and abandoning his captured comrades, while the Root shinobi urged him to complete the mission.

Hyuga Akira completed the mission by destroying the intelligence-bearing corpse and letting Hatake Sakumo leave, then reported back to Danzo. Danzo ordered the next stage of his plan against Hatake Sakumo, and a Root shinobi publicly blamed White Fang for abandoning the mission before killing himself in the hospital.

• Hyuga Akira negotiated with Hatake Sakumo, destroyed the corpse, and withdrew with the surviving Root members while Hatake Sakumo returned to Konoha with his squad and a failed mission.
• Hyuga Akira taunted Danzo after reporting the mission complete, and Danzo brushed off the jokes before asking Aburame Ryoma about Hatake Sakumo's return.
• Aburame Ryoma confirmed Hatake Sakumo had returned safely, and Danzo ordered Root to begin its plan to prevent him from becoming Hokage.
• A Root shinobi in the hospital learned that his real assignment was to slander Hatake Sakumo over the failed mission.
• The Root shinobi accused Hatake Sakumo of abandoning the mission, attacked a nurse, and stabbed himself to death in front of the hospital staff.

After Hatake Sakumo's failed mission led to two Shinobi suicides, Hiruzen Sarutobi's silence let rumors ruin Sakumo's standing and prospects of becoming Hokage. Konoha's alert ended after Kushina became the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the chapter left Nawaki grieving a family member's death.

• A Shinobi's suicide note blamed himself for Hatake Sakumo abandoning the mission to save him, and word of two suicides spread through Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed silent as rumors destroyed Hatake Sakumo's reputation, while Hyuga Akira discussed the fallout with Minato Namikaze, Nawaki, and Kushina.
• Hyuga Akira saw Mito Uzumaki watching the group and realized Kushina would soon become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Konoha mobilized to monitor the village as the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted, and Hyuga Akira explained the tailed beasts to Machi.
• After Kushina became the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Konoha lifted its alert, Nawaki left the group grieving a family member's death, whom Hyuga Akira identified as Mito Uzumaki.

Hyuga Akira regained his Jonin rank and was sent to the Land of Bears to monitor Kirigakure, with authority to command the front if war broke out. After Danzo asked him to collect Sharingan, Akira joined the Uchiha-led force and learned that Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen had appeared on the front line.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi restored Hyuga Akira’s Jonin rank and ordered him to monitor Kirigakure from the Land of Bears.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Hyuga Akira temporary authority to command the battlefield, while Danzo told him to collect Sharingan from Uchiha corpses.
• Hyuga Akira led a force of one hundred squads, including one hundred Uchiha shinobi, toward the Kirigakure front.
• Hyuga Akira arrived at the camp and met Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Jin.
• Uchiha Fugaku told Hyuga Akira that Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen had appeared on the front line and their whereabouts were unknown.