Recaps

Anrokuzan unleashed his army of puppet soldiers against Sōkyū Hatake and Sara, but Sōkyū destroyed the front ranks with Conqueror’s Haki. Anrokuzan ordered the remaining puppets to advance over their fallen comrades as Sara asked Sōkyū what they should do.

• Anrokuzan revealed that his puppet army was meant to help him make Rōran the strongest nation and overthrow the Five Great Nations.
• Anrokuzan sent thousands of rubber-coated puppet soldiers to attack Sōkyū Hatake, whose Thunder Punishment could not stop them.
• Anrokuzan offered Sara the chance to become queen if she abandoned Sōkyū, but Sara refused and accused him of causing her mother's death and seeking the Ryūmyaku seal.
• Sōkyū unleashed Perfect-Level Conqueror’s Haki, cracking and destroying the puppet soldiers closest to him.
• Anrokuzan ordered the remaining puppets to use their fallen comrades as cover and continue advancing, and Sara asked Sōkyū what they should do.

Sōkyū Hatake overwhelmed Anrokuzan and destroyed about half his Puppet Army by spreading Bakusaiga’s power through the Chakra Control Threads. With Anrokuzan cornered, he formed a new clay puppet coated in Ryūmyaku Chakra.

• Anrokuzan sent hundreds of Puppet Soldiers against Sōkyū Hatake, who cut them down with Bakusaiga and survived Anrokuzan’s regeneration.
• Anrokuzan transformed into a puppet spider and attacked with a barrage of steel bullets, but Sōkyū Hatake blocked them with Iron Body.
• Sōkyū Hatake used Wind Scar on one Puppet Soldier, and Bakusaiga’s destructive energy spread through the Chakra Control Threads, pulverizing hundreds of puppets.
• Anrokuzan severed the threads to stop the spreading power, but his army had already been reduced from over a thousand to about five hundred.
• Anrokuzan retreated from Sōkyū Hatake, then assembled many puppets into a clay doll coated with his stored Ryūmyaku Chakra.

Sōkyū Hatake fought Anrokuzan as Anrokuzan used hypnosis to make Sara undo the Ryūmyaku’s seal. With the Ryūmyaku Eye opening and its immense chakra spilling out, Sōkyū Hatake wondered whether he could absorb it all as Sara’s ritual neared completion.

• Anrokuzan separated the chakra affected by Bakusaiga and sent Puppet Fortresses to attack Sōkyū Hatake.
• Anrokuzan trapped Sara inside a Puppet Fortress and revealed that his puppets had made her the new Queen of Roran.
• Anrokuzan’s hypnosis made Sara begin undoing the Ryūmyaku’s seal, and the Ryūmyaku Eye started opening underground.
• Sōkyū Hatake charged Anrokuzan, dodged his Ryūmyaku-powered Great Fireball, and clashed with him using Bakusaiga.
• As the Ryūmyaku Eye opened halfway and Sara continued the ritual, Sōkyū Hatake wondered whether he was strong enough to absorb its chakra.

Sōkyū Hatake used Sage Transformation and Ryūmyaku chakra to overpower Anrokuzan’s attempt to absorb the Ryūmyaku’s power. Anrokuzan’s puppet fortress cracked, and Sōkyū Hatake challenged him to explain why he had still been able to see Sōkyū Hatake in the future if his plan could truly succeed.

• Sōkyū Hatake sent Pikachu to knock out Sara, then fused with Pikachu and activated Sage Transformation.
• Sōkyū Hatake absorbed Ryūmyaku chakra as Anrokuzan launched a Super Ryūmyaku Great Fireball Jutsu at him.
• Sōkyū Hatake unleashed Ryūmyaku Super God Kirin, and the attack clashed with Anrokuzan’s fireball in a devastating explosion.
• Anrokuzan used hundreds of Puppet Soldiers to form a fortress, but the blast cracked it while Sōkyū Hatake remained standing.
• Sōkyū Hatake told the shaken Anrokuzan that if his plan could have succeeded, he would not have seen Sōkyū Hatake in the future.

Sōkyū Hatake killed Anrokuzan and destroyed his puppet army. Sara agreed to let him absorb the Ryūmyaku, and he prepared to begin while asking her to keep everyone away.

• Sōkyū Hatake challenged Anrokuzan’s certainty about changing the past and said he would learn the truth because he was stronger.
• Sōkyū Hatake stabbed Anrokuzan with Bakusaiga, making his body vanish and causing the puppet forces to collapse.
• Sara woke beside Sōkyū Hatake and learned that he had killed Anrokuzan.
• Sōkyū Hatake told Sara he planned to absorb the Ryūmyaku, and Sara agreed to let him take it because Rōran could not protect it.
• Sōkyū Hatake promised to help Rōran if needed and told Sara to keep everyone away while he absorbed the Ryūmyaku.

Sara released the Ryūmyaku Eye’s seal, and it pulled Sōkyū Hatake inside as he began absorbing its chakra. While he endured the painful process, Sara secured Rōran and reassured its citizens that she would protect them.

• Sara released the Ryūmyaku Eye’s seal, and Sōkyū Hatake sent Pikachu to stay with her before the Eye pulled him inside and closed.
• Sara sealed off the area and went to apologize to the citizens, expose Anrokuzan’s treason, and take control of Rōran’s power.
• Sara declared herself Rōran’s new queen and promised to protect the citizens as the puppets collapsed.
• Rescued men returned to their families, and the citizens learned that Anrokuzan had been behind the abductions and praised Sara.
• Inside the Ryūmyaku, chakra flooded into Sōkyū Hatake, stretching his elementalized body apart and overwhelming him with pain before the Ryūmyaku grew calm.

Kakashi Hatake tried to carry Rin Nohara back to Konoha after Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside her, but Rin feared the unstable seal would break and destroy the village. As Kirigakure pursuers surrounded them, Kakashi refused to abandon her.

• More than a year after Sōkyū Hatake entered the Ryūmyaku, Konoha drove Iwagakure out of the war and shifted its forces to the Kirigakure and Kumogakure fronts.
• Might Duy used the Eight Gates Released Formation to save Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, killing himself and reducing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to three survivors.
• Madara Uchiha arranged for Kirigakure Anbu to abduct Rin Nohara, seal Isobu inside her, and drive her toward Konoha while Minato Namikaze was away.
• Kakashi Hatake carried Rin toward Konoha, but Isobu began attacking the flawed seal and Rin urged Kakashi to take her away from the village.
• Several Kirigakure assassination-unit ninja caught up and surrounded Kakashi, intending to use Rin and Isobu to devastate Konoha before retrieving the tailed beast.

Obito Uchiha rushed to save Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara, but arrived as Kakashi’s Lightning Blade pierced Rin’s heart. Overcome with grief, Obito awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and slaughtered the Kirigakure ninja, then blamed Kakashi for failing to protect Rin.

• Obito Uchiha hurried from the cave after learning Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara were in danger, but discovered Minato Namikaze was away on a mission.
• Rin Nohara stepped in front of Kakashi Hatake as he charged the Kirigakure ninja with his Lightning Blade, and he fatally pierced her heart.
• Obito Uchiha arrived in time to witness Rin’s death, and both he and Kakashi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito Uchiha attacked and killed the Kirigakure ninja with Wood Release while White Zetsu and Black Zetsu watched, satisfied that their plan had succeeded.
• Obito Uchiha held Rin’s body and blamed Kakashi Hatake for failing to protect her as rain fell.

Sōkyū Hatake revealed that Madara Uchiha had orchestrated Rin Nohara’s apparent death to manipulate Obito Uchiha. He reunited Obito with the living Rin and asked him to keep following his script while guarding against danger.

• Sōkyū Hatake appeared before Obito Uchiha, who demanded to know why he had not saved Rin Nohara.
• Sōkyū Hatake explained that Madara Uchiha had arranged the events surrounding Rin and Obito, then showed Obito the plan through images formed from raindrops.
• Obito Uchiha learned that Madara intended him to resurrect Madara and bring about Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Sōkyū Hatake revealed that Rin Nohara was alive and that the corpse Obito had seen was part of an illusion meant for someone else.
• Obito Uchiha agreed to follow the plan and keep Rin’s survival secret while Sōkyū Hatake gave her a new identity.
• Rin Nohara asked Sōkyū Hatake what had happened to him.

Sōkyū Hatake reinforced the seal holding Isobu after the Three-Tails attacked it, then prepared to hide Rin Nohara and leave a duplicate corpse behind. He teleported away with Rin and Obito Uchiha just before Minato Namikaze arrived, leaving Kakashi Hatake and the false corpse at the scene.

• Sōkyū Hatake told Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara to keep his identity secret and instructed Obito to return to Madara Uchiha’s cave and maintain the appearance of following the plan.
• Isobu’s chakra surged out of Rin Nohara, and Sōkyū Hatake strengthened the seal around the Three-Tails.
• Sōkyū Hatake entered Isobu’s sealing space, threatened him, and revealed that he knew the names of all the Tailed Beasts.
• After Rin recovered, Sōkyū Hatake said he would leave a duplicate of her corpse and take her somewhere hidden, while keeping Kakashi Hatake unaware of his next plans.
• Sōkyū Hatake teleported away with Rin and Obito as Minato Namikaze approached.
• Minato Namikaze arrived beside Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara’s false corpse, mourned them, and noticed traces of spatial fluctuations.

After Rin Nohara's death, Kakashi Hatake struggled with guilt while Minato Namikaze tried to comfort him. Kakashi decided to join the Anbu, and Minato agreed to raise the request with Lord Hokage.

• Minato Namikaze found Kakashi Hatake sitting awake in the hospital, grieving Rin Nohara and remembering the friends and comrades he had lost.
• Minato Namikaze reminded Kakashi Hatake that Rin Nohara had willingly stepped in front of his Lightning Blade and asked whether their dead friends would want him to remain trapped in self-reproach.
• Minato Namikaze blamed himself for being absent when Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara died, and Kakashi Hatake realized how much his teacher was grieving too.
• Kakashi Hatake asked to join the Anbu because he could not bring himself to lead another team, and Minato Namikaze agreed to speak with Lord Hokage.

Sōkyū Hatake brought Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara to Rōran, revealed he had mastered long-distance Flying Thunder God, and sent Obito back while Rin stayed behind. He introduced Rin to Sara and learned that Rōran had been developing under Sara’s rule, leaving Rin in the city as its rebuilding continued.

• Sōkyū Hatake brought Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara to Rōran, where its towering buildings and busy streets amazed Rin.
• Sōkyū Hatake explained that he had mastered long-distance Flying Thunder God by using his marks throughout the Ryūmyaku.
• Sōkyū Hatake took Obito back, and Rin asked whether he would be in danger; Sōkyū Hatake said staying undiscovered would help keep Obito safe.
• Sara arrived, hugged Sōkyū Hatake’s arm, and met Rin, while Pikachu greeted her.
• Sōkyū Hatake learned from Sara that Rōran had been developing with puppets used for work and citizens paid wages for an eight-hour workday.

After Minato Namikaze’s return and the announcement of the Fourth Hokage election, Orochimaru confirmed his candidacy. He told Mitaraishi Anko and Yamato that he intended to become Hokage to fulfill Sōkyū Hatake’s wish and resolve the matter concerning Hatake Sakumo.

• Minato Namikaze returned after defeating Kumogakure’s A-B duo and officially entered the Fourth Hokage race alongside Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō.
• Mitaraishi Anko brought Orochimaru confirmation of his candidacy while he and Yamato examined blood tissue in the laboratory.
• Mitaraishi Anko asked Orochimaru whether he was running to clear Sōkyū Hatake’s father’s name, and Yamato suggested he had little other reason to seek the position.
• Orochimaru confirmed that he wanted to fulfill Sōkyū Hatake’s wish and said he would address the matter concerning Hatake Sakumo if he became Hokage.

On the day of Konoha’s Hokage election, Danzo arranged to expose Orochimaru’s forbidden human experiments to undermine his candidacy. As Root moved to arrest Orochimaru, he stepped forward to speak.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the public vote for the Fourth Hokage candidates: Shimura Danzō, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze.
• Villagers cast their ballots, and Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze drew more support than Danzo.
• An Anbu member reported Orochimaru’s alleged unauthorized human experiments, while Mitokado Homura publicly announced that Orochimaru had experimented on prisoners and studied Hashirama Senju’s cells.
• Danzo ordered Root to take Orochimaru away, but Orochimaru stepped forward and said he had something to say.

Orochimaru played a Tone Dial recording that implicated Danzo in ordering his experiments, turning the villagers against Danzo and forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to intervene. As Orochimaru challenged Hiruzen's earlier silence, a figure stood up inside the tavern to watch the confrontation.

• Orochimaru said Danzo had assigned him the unauthorized experiments and compared obeying orders with Hatake Sakumo's mission.
• Orochimaru played a Tone Dial recording of Danzo ordering research on Hashirama's cells, the Sharingan, and the Byakugan.
• The villagers debated Danzo's culpability and whether Orochimaru was innocent, while Danzo denounced the recording as slander.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Orochimaru to put the device away and promised an investigation, and Orochimaru mocked him for not helping earlier.
• A figure stood up inside the tavern and watched the scene with interest.

Orochimaru challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi over his treatment and invoked Hatake Sakumo’s case, prompting Sōkyū Hatake to appear and demand an investigation into his father’s death. The chapter ended with Sōkyū claiming Danzo’s aide could provide proof if Danzo took off his clothes.

• Orochimaru accused Danzo of assigning him a mission and then trying to frame him, while Hiruzen Sarutobi threatened to disqualify him from the election.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi called Hatake Sakumo a coward, shocking Kakashi Hatake as he heard his father insulted.
• Sōkyū Hatake appeared above the Hokage Office amid lightning, and the villagers, Danzo, Kakashi Hatake, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted to his return.
• Sōkyū Hatake demanded that Hiruzen Sarutobi investigate Hatake Sakumo’s death and asked who had spread the rumors that drove his father to take his own life.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi denied that anyone had orchestrated the rumors, and Sōkyū Hatake challenged his dismissal of Orochimaru’s evidence.
• Sōkyū Hatake said Danzo’s aide could prove what happened if Danzo took off his clothes, then fixed Danzo with icy killing intent.

Sōkyū Hatake exposed Danzo’s Hashirama-cell prosthetic arm, provoking outrage in Konoha. Danzo ordered Root to capture Sōkyū, while Hiruzen tacitly backed him and demanded an explanation afterward.

• Sōkyū Hatake accused Danzo of hiding something beneath his clothes, and Danzo tried to change the subject by accusing Sōkyū of desertion.
• Sōkyū revealed that Danzo had a prosthetic right arm made from Hashirama Senju’s cells, shocking the gathered villagers and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Danzo dismissed Sōkyū’s claim and ordered Root ninja to surround and seize him.
• Hiruzen allowed Danzo to proceed but told him to control public opinion and explain the Hashirama-cell research afterward.
• Sōkyū remained unruffled and warned that Danzo was underestimating him.

Sōkyū Hatake killed twelve Root operatives, then used his status as an elder to challenge Danzo and expose the Hashirama-cell arm and Sharingan hidden beneath Danzo’s clothes. Danzo’s chances of becoming Hokage collapsed, and he ordered more than a hundred Root ninja to surround and attack Sōkyū Hatake.

• Sōkyū Hatake struck twelve Root operatives with lightning, killing them, and reminded Danzo that he remained an elder because his status had never been revoked.
• Sōkyū Hatake grabbed Danzo and tore open his upper clothing after shattering Danzo’s Vacuum Wave.
• The gathered villagers saw Hashirama cells and several three-tomoe Sharingan on Danzo’s arm, and their accusations ruined his hopes of becoming Hokage.
• Danzo blamed Sōkyū Hatake and ordered more than a hundred Root ninja, including some who had emerged from among the Anbu, to surround and attack him.

Sōkyū Hatake confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over Danzo’s role in ruining Hatake Sakumo’s reputation, while Hiruzen ordered him seized. When Anbu and Root attacked, Sōkyū summoned Seven-Tails Chōmei, forcing the Konoha forces to retreat and prepare for battle.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi accused Sōkyū Hatake of a crime and threatened to hold him accountable for killing fellow Konoha ninja.
• Sōkyū Hatake insisted he would prove Danzo had destroyed Hatake Sakumo’s reputation, and Hiruzen ordered the Anbu to seize him.
• Uchiha Fugaku challenged Hiruzen to investigate Danzo’s possession of Uchiha Sharingan, but Hiruzen dismissed his concerns.
• Sōkyū Hatake thanked Fugaku and told him to stay out of the confrontation as Hiruzen and Danzo ordered their forces to attack.
• Sōkyū Hatake summoned Seven-Tails Chōmei, whose terrifying chakra made the Anbu and Root ninja retreat while Hiruzen’s side prepared for battle.

Sōkyū Hatake transported Konoha’s leaders and over a thousand ninja to the Forest of Death, where he demanded that his father’s name be cleared and Danzo be punished. After their attacks failed to harm him, Sōkyū Hatake struck down the Anbu and Root ninja with lightning, then tested the Four Red Yang Formation with Wind Scar.

• During his training in Rōran, Sōkyū Hatake drew the Seven-Tails into the Ryūmyaku and secured a Summoning Contract with it.
• Sōkyū Hatake transported Hiruzen Sarutobi and the assembled Konoha forces to the Forest of Death, startling Minato Namikaze with the scale of his Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Sōkyū Hatake demanded that his father’s name be cleared and Danzo be punished, but Danzo declared him a rogue ninja and Hiruzen Sarutobi said he had crossed the line.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu formed the Four Red Yang Formation around Sōkyū Hatake and the Seven-Tails as Danzo ordered the Anbu and Root ninja to attack.
• The barrage passed through the barrier but left Sōkyū Hatake and the Seven-Tails unharmed; Sōkyū Hatake then struck the attackers with Thunder Punishment, dropping them to the ground.
• Sōkyū Hatake fired Wind Scar at the Four Red Yang Formation, and the barrier swallowed the attack without visible damage.

Sōkyū Hatake attacked the Four Red Yang Formation, then fought Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and their allies while others tried to keep Chōmei out of the battle. The fight escalated when Sōkyū fired a lightning-charged coin at Hiruzen with his Ryūmyaku Super Zap Cannon.

• Sōkyū Hatake’s attacks cracked the Four Red Yang Formation, and Chōmei’s Tailed Beast Bomb forced its four defenders to stumble back.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Enma and prepared to fight alongside Shimura Danzō and the other Kage-level fighters.
• Orochimaru, Uchiha Fugaku, and Minato Namikaze refused to join the attack on Sōkyū.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others launched a barrage of attacks at Sōkyū while Anbu and Root ninja tried to keep Chōmei away from the fight.
• Sōkyū Hatake used Senjutsu: Ryūmyaku Super Zap Cannon to fire a lightning-wrapped coin at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Sōkyū Hatake attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other Konoha leaders with Super Zap Cannon shots before Jiraiya arrived to protect them. Hiruzen promised to clear Hatake Sakumo’s name and remove Shimura Danzō from the Fourth Hokage candidates, while secretly planning to deal with Sōkyū after returning to Konoha.

• Sōkyū Hatake’s Super Zap Cannon coin overwhelmed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Adamantine Staff until Mitokado Homura helped him block it.
• Sōkyū Hatake sent four Super Zap Cannon shots at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
• Jiraiya arrived and used senjutsu-enhanced Needle Jizo to stop the shots, though they damaged his hair.
• Jiraiya urged Sōkyū Hatake to stop attacking, while admitting that Konoha needed to change and promising to address Hatake Sakumo’s case.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi promised to clear Hatake Sakumo’s name, remove Shimura Danzō from consideration for Fourth Hokage, and investigate him, while privately plotting to seal Sōkyū Hatake and the Seven-Tails.

Sōkyū Hatake detained Shimura Danzō and overwhelmed him after Danzō broke free and attacked. He turned on Hiruzen Sarutobi when the Hokage tried to intervene, while keeping Hiruzen alive so he could later set Hatake Sakumo’s reputation right.

• Sōkyū Hatake used Flying Thunder God and a lightning prison to restrain Shimura Danzō, arguing that detention was allowed during an investigation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Sōkyū Hatake to release Danzō, but Danzō broke free and attacked him with Wind Release.
• Sōkyū Hatake summoned a two-billion-volt Thunder God, dispelled Danzō’s wind attack, and seized him.
• Sōkyū Hatake mocked Hiruzen Sarutobi’s failure to defend Hatake Sakumo’s reputation and said he would prove his strength himself.
• Sōkyū Hatake shocked Danzō until he convulsed, then swept Hiruzen aside when the Hokage charged to intervene.

Sōkyū Hatake killed Danzo, then demanded that Hiruzen Sarutobi expose Danzo’s crimes and continue the Fourth Hokage selection. Danzo revived with Izanagi and launched a Reverse Four Symbols Seal against Sōkyū, leaving Hiruzen expecting the seal to remove his powerful rival.

• Sōkyū Hatake struck Danzo with lightning until he stopped moving, then demanded that Hiruzen Sarutobi announce Danzo’s crimes and continue the vote.
• Danzo reappeared behind Sōkyū Hatake and activated the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, using Izanagi to undo his apparent death.
• Uchiha Fugaku explained Izanagi to Minato Namikaze and identified the Sharingan Danzo had sacrificed to use it.
• Danzo’s seal drew in the lightning around Sōkyū Hatake as Uchiha Fugaku tried to intervene, but Hiruzen Sarutobi blocked him with the Adamantine Staff.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi expected the seal to eliminate Sōkyū Hatake and considered giving Danzo more votes in the Fourth Hokage selection.

Sōkyū Hatake resisted Danzo’s Reverse Four Symbols Seal and vanished with him when the seal reached its limit. Hiruzen Sarutobi then dismissed the matter of Hatake Sakumo and disappointed Orochimaru further.

• Danzo activated the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, but Sōkyū Hatake revealed that he had already destroyed the Sharingan Danzo planned to use with Izanagi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to stop Danzo, and Sōkyū Hatake used Armament Haki to withstand the seal and walk toward him.
• Danzo embraced Sōkyū Hatake in a final attempt to seal him, and the two vanished when the Reverse Four Symbols Seal reached its limit.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Jiraiya they should return, then said Hatake Sakumo was already dead and criticized Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi’s disappointment and showed that he had grown even more disappointed in his teacher.