Recaps

Senju Chen rejected Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu’s attempt to direct the Senju Clan’s support in the Hokage election, saying they would back whoever won. He then visited Uchiha Fugaku, who asked which candidate the Senju intended to support.

• Senju Chen told Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu that the Senju Clan would remain neutral and support the eventual Hokage.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu left angrily after warning Senju Chen to watch himself.
• Senju Chen told Maruboshi Kosuke he would visit Uchiha Fugaku, and Kosuke prepared a present.
• Uchiha Fugaku welcomed Senju Chen warmly at the Uchiha Clan Compound, where Mikoto served tea and refreshments.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked Senju Chen which candidate the Senju Clan planned to support in the Hokage election.

Senju Chen explained to Uchiha Fugaku how backing Minato Namikaze or Orochimaru would lead to very different futures for the Uchiha Clan. He left Fugaku weighing acceptance and stability against unprecedented power, with Chen’s own connection to Orochimaru making that path especially tempting.

• Senju Chen told Uchiha Fugaku that the Senju faction would remain neutral in the Hokage succession.
• Fugaku agreed with Chen that Shimura Danzō was a dangerous choice for the Uchiha Clan.
• Chen explained that Minato Namikaze could help the Uchiha integrate into the village but would restrict the Police Force’s power.
• Chen argued that Orochimaru would disregard the Uchiha’s public reputation while granting the Police Force broad authority.
• Fugaku weighed the two possible futures as Chen revealed he would likely liaise with the Police Force if Orochimaru became Hokage.

Senju Chen learned that Shisui had joined Danzo’s Root, unsettling his plans and prompting him to seek answers. Meanwhile, Mitokado Homura told Danzo that Senju Chen had declared the Senju Clan neutral in the Hokage succession, leaving Danzo with a new complication.

• Uchiha Fugaku agreed that the Uchiha Clan would support Orochimaru.
• Senju Chen learned that Shisui had joined Root and asked Fugaku to send Shisui to meet him when he returned.
• Senju Chen left the Uchiha residence determined to find out why Shisui had joined Danzo and what Shisui intended.
• Mitokado Homura told Danzo that Senju Chen had invoked Tsunade’s decision to keep the Senju Clan neutral in the Hokage succession.

Danzo realized Senju Chen had blocked his attempt to secure the Senju Faction’s support, so he turned to exposing Orochimaru and investigating the Uchiha. He then sent Shisui Uchiha to intercept and kill alleged Kirigakure infiltrators during the Hokage transition.

• Danzo told Mitokado Homura that Senju Chen, not Tsunade, had chosen to keep the Senju Faction neutral and undermine Danzo’s claim to legitimacy.
• After Mitokado Homura left, Danzo ordered a Root ninja to compile evidence of Orochimaru’s forbidden jutsu research for public exposure.
• Danzo noted Senju Chen’s connection to Uchiha Fugaku and told a subordinate to summon Shisui Uchiha.
• Danzo praised Shisui’s loyalty to Root and claimed Kirigakure agents planned to enter Konoha and steal secrets.
• Shisui accepted Danzo’s order to intercept and kill the alleged Kirigakure infiltrators.

Senju Chen visited the Hyuga and Nara clans to explain the Senju Clan’s neutrality in the Hokage election and subtly steer their views of the candidates. He left the Nara leaders concerned about Danzo’s possible interference in the contest between Orochimaru and Minato.

• After learning that Shisui had been drawn into Root, Senju Chen told Maruboshi Kosuke to prepare gifts and visit several clans in one day.
• Senju Chen told Hyuga Hiashi that the Senju Clan would remain neutral and contrasted Minato’s inclusive ideals with Orochimaru’s respect for strength.
• Hyuga Hiashi declared that the Hyuga Clan would remain neutral, though Senju Chen believed he had influenced the clan against Minato’s approach.
• Senju Chen visited Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Chōza Akimichi and repeated the Senju Clan’s neutral position.
• Senju Chen warned the Nara leaders that Danzo had sought Senju support and might act forcefully if the struggle between Orochimaru and Minato intensified.
• Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Chōza Akimichi exchanged grave looks after hearing Senju Chen’s warning.

Senju Chen visited Konoha’s clans and Jiraiya to announce the Senju Clan’s neutrality while quietly warning against Shimura Danzō and clearing a path for Orochimaru. After reporting the decision to Biwako Sarutobi, he returned home to wait for Shisui Uchiha.

• Senju Chen warned Shikaku Nara that infighting between Minato Namikaze’s and Orochimaru’s supporters could allow Shimura Danzō to seize power.
• Senju Chen visited the Aburame, Inuzuka, and other clans, presenting the Senju Clan as neutral while tailoring his political appeals to each group.
• Senju Chen told Jiraiya that Tsunade had chosen neutrality to protect the Senju Clan from further losses, and Jiraiya accepted the explanation without changing his support for Minato Namikaze.
• Senju Chen informed Biwako Sarutobi of the Senju Clan’s neutrality and promised that the clan would support whoever became the Fourth Hokage.
• Senju Chen left the Sarutobi Clan Compound with Grandpa Kosuke, believing he had isolated Shimura Danzō, and prepared to wait for Shisui Uchiha.

Senju Chen visited Kakashi and found him with Rin and Might Guy, then used talk of Minato and Danzo to draw Kakashi into conversation. He challenged Guy to a push-up contest in exchange for leaving Kakashi alone, while Kakashi watched Chen with a growing sense of distance.

• After waiting all day for Shisui Uchiha, Senju Chen gave up and went to visit Kakashi.
• Senju Chen found Kakashi cleaning his ninja tools while Might Guy challenged him and Rin tried to mediate.
• Rin welcomed Senju Chen, and Guy invited him to a warm-up match, while Kakashi coolly asked why he had come.
• Senju Chen congratulated Kakashi on becoming a Jonin and brought up Minato Namikaze, then mentioned that the elder advisors supported Danzo.
• Senju Chen accepted Guy's push-up challenge on the condition that Guy leave Kakashi alone if he lost.
• Kakashi watched Senju Chen and wondered whether Chen had always been unlike the others.

Senju Chen tested his physical strength against Might Guy in a push-up contest and proved he could match Guy's pace. Before leaving to train with Guy, Chen renewed the Flying Thunder God Formula mark on Rin's clothing and urged her to look after Kakashi, leaving Rin determined to reach out to him.

• Senju Chen and Might Guy began a push-up contest while Rin counted and Kakashi watched from the veranda.
• Senju Chen matched Guy's strength and endurance, then called the contest a draw when Guy collapsed.
• Guy declared Senju Chen his lifelong rival and enthusiastically agreed to continue training at Training Ground Three.
• Senju Chen asked Rin to take care of Kakashi and discreetly refreshed the fading Flying Thunder God Formula mark on her clothing.
• Senju Chen told Rin to remind Kakashi that Minato and Kushina would worry about him, and Rin returned to the courtyard determined to speak with Kakashi.

Senju Chen reflected on how to help Rin Nohara, then sparred with Might Guy to test the strengths of Lightning Body Tempering against trained Taijutsu. After returning home, he found Shisui Uchiha waiting at the Senju mansion.

• Senju Chen left Kakashi with a Flying Thunder God Formula as a safeguard and hoped to save Rin Nohara from her fate.
• Senju Chen took Might Guy to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate their becoming lifelong rivals.
• Senju Chen and Might Guy sparred at Training Ground Three, with Chen relying on speed and reflexes while Guy used his tough body and powerful attacks.
• Senju Chen and Might Guy called their exhausting spar a draw and agreed to fight again the next day.
• Senju Chen arrived at the Senju mansion and found Shisui Uchiha waiting beneath the entrance lantern.

Senju Chen learned that Shisui had joined Root because he believed Danzo’s ideals and hoped to support Chen as Hokage, but Chen struggled to warn him about Danzo’s true motives. When Chen sensed the Flying Thunder God Formula on Rin moving rapidly south, he realized she had been abducted and rushed after her, with Shisui following.

• Senju Chen welcomed Shisui and asked why he had joined Root.
• Shisui said Danzo’s ideas had convinced him that Konoha needed people working in the shadows, and he hoped to become Chen’s trusted support if Chen became Hokage.
• Shisui told Chen he suspected someone was stirring up trouble behind the Third Lord Hokage’s resignation, but he had not discovered who.
• Senju Chen sensed the Flying Thunder God Formula on Rin racing south and realized someone had taken her out of the village.
• Senju Chen rushed off to pursue Rin, and Shisui followed, suspecting the enemy infiltration Danzo had warned him about.

Senju Chen and Shisui pursued the kidnappers after Senju Chen sensed Rin Nohara had been taken from Konoha. They found Rin in a cavern after Kirigakure ninja had forced the Three-Tails into her and placed a cursed seal on her heart.

• Senju Chen detected Rin Nohara's Flying Thunder God Formula moving rapidly toward Konoha's southern border and raced after her.
• Shisui Uchiha joined Senju Chen, learned Rin had been abducted, and chose to trust his judgment as they pursued her.
• Rin Nohara woke chained in a cavern among Kirigakure ninja, who activated the Isobu Reincarnation Technique and began sealing the Three-Tails inside her.
• A Kirigakure ninja placed a Confinement Cursed Seal on Rin's heart to stop her from ending her own life.
• Senju Chen and Shisui burst into the cavern, and Senju Chen reached Rin but saw the fading sealing formula and cursed seal on her body.

Senju Chen rescued the unconscious Rin Nohara after killing the Kirigakure ninjas, but discovered that the Three-Tails and a restrictive curse tag made her too dangerous to bring back to Konoha. He decided to fake her death and take her somewhere safe, leaving Shisui to cover their tracks as Konoha’s reinforcements approached.

• Senju Chen and Shisui killed the Kirigakure ninjas, including their leader, who had attacked Rin.
• Senju Chen examined Rin and found that the Three-Tails’ chakra and a curse tag on her heart made her condition unstable.
• Shisui warned that Rin could not be taken back to Konoha, and Senju Chen decided to hide her and report that she had died.
• Shisui agreed to falsify the report while Senju Chen carried Rin away using Flying Thunder God.
• Senju Chen sensed Kakashi and other reinforcements approaching, then repeatedly teleported through the forest to erase his trail.

Shisui reported to Danzo that he had stopped Kirigakure’s attempt to use Rin Nohara as a Three-Tails Jinchūriki bomb, though Rin had died in the explosion. Danzo realized his fabricated warning had accidentally led Shisui to a real enemy operation and decided to exploit the resulting political opening.

• Kakashi arrived at the cavern and learned from Shisui that Rin Nohara had been abducted, sealed with the Three-Tails, and killed in an explosion.
• Kakashi searched the scorched cavern for Rin while Shisui concealed the singed clothing Senju Chen had left as false evidence.
• Shisui told Danzo that his warning had led him to uncover and eliminate a Kirigakure squad plotting to create a Jinchūriki bomb.
• Danzo realized his intelligence had been made up, but concluded the coincidence had strengthened Shisui’s loyalty and removed a future threat.
• Danzo decided to use the damage to Konoha’s defenses to move against the Council of Elders and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Senju Chen rushed the dying Rin Nohara to the Land of Hot Water, hoping Tsunade could save her from the Three-Tails and the curse mark on her heart. Tsunade recognized Rin’s critical condition and hurried to take them to her lodgings for treatment.

• Senju Chen realized he could not remove Rin Nohara’s curse mark or extract the Three-Tails, so he decided to seek Tsunade’s help.
• Senju Chen used Flying Thunder God to travel to the Land of Hot Water while Rin’s life force continued to fade.
• Senju Chen burst into a casino where Tsunade was gambling and asked her to save Rin.
• Tsunade silenced the casino, ordered Shizune to lead them to their lodgings, and caught the exhausted Senju Chen as she assessed Rin’s faint life force.

Senju Chen brought Rin Nohara to Tsunade after Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside her and placed a curse seal on her heart. Tsunade began an intensive treatment, ordering Senju Chen to guard the room and let no one enter.

• Senju Chen and Tsunade carried Rin Nohara to Tsunade's temporary lodging and laid her on the bed.
• Tsunade examined Rin and found her life force fading, her chakra pathways damaged, and the Three-Tails' chakra inside her.
• Senju Chen explained that Kirigakure had made Rin an unstable Jinchūriki and cursed her heart to prevent her from killing herself.
• Tsunade became furious, ordered Shizune to prepare medical supplies, and assessed the dangers of extracting the Three-Tails or removing the curse seal.
• Tsunade began intensive treatment and surgery, instructing Senju Chen to guard the room and allow no one inside.

Senju Chen recovered outside the treatment room while considering how Madara Uchiha might still manipulate Obito and how his actions had strengthened Danzo’s hold over Shisui. The chapter ended as Rin Nohara’s treatment reached a critical point, leaving her fate in Senju Chen’s sister’s hands.

• Shizune gave Senju Chen a food pill and shut him outside while Rin Nohara received treatment.
• Senju Chen reflected that Madara Uchiha could still turn Obito against the world by convincing him that Rin had died.
• Senju Chen worried that his fabricated intelligence had made Shisui trust Danzo more than the Third Hokage.
• Senju Chen questioned whether Shisui had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and resolved to investigate.
• Senju Chen heard Rin groan in pain and waited outside as the treatment reached its most critical stage.

Senju Chen used Wood Release to restrain the Three-Tails’ rampage inside Rin Nohara while Tsunade treated her. After Tsunade revealed that the curse tag on Rin’s heart was connected to the beast’s seal, Senju Chen began carefully severing that connection, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• The Three-Tails’ chakra surged out of Rin Nohara, and Tsunade called Senju Chen in to help suppress it.
• Senju Chen restrained Rin with Wood Dragons and used their sealing power to contain and drain the raging chakra.
• Tsunade explained that stimulating the curse tag on Rin’s heart had triggered the Three-Tails’ response, and that she could not remove it without provoking the beast.
• Tsunade suggested Senju Chen seal the connection between the curse tag and the Three-Tails, and he agreed to try.
• Senju Chen located the fine purple line linking the seal to Rin’s heart and began carefully cutting through it with his Wood Release.

Senju Chen sealed Rin Nohara’s forbidden cursed seal and recounted the Kirigakure plot to Tsunade, who agreed to hide Rin’s survival from the village. After waiting alone through the day, Senju Chen heard Rin wake up.

• Senju Chen sealed Rin Nohara’s cursed seal, ending her Tailed Beast Transformation and stabilizing her.
• Tsunade asked Senju Chen to recount what happened, and he described Danzo’s warning, his pursuit with Shisui Uchiha, and the fight with the Kirigakure Ninja.
• Tsunade smashed the coffee table in fury when she learned Kirigakure had planned to turn Rin into a weapon against Konoha.
• Tsunade approved the false report that Rin had died and went to rest with Shizune, while Senju Chen stayed behind to watch over Rin.
• Senju Chen waited through the day, thinking about Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and Danzo, until he heard Rin stir behind the closed door.

Rin Nohara woke after surviving the Three-Tails’ implantation and learned Senju Chen had sealed the curse seal temporarily. Chen told her she must stay hidden and be presumed dead until the seal could be removed, while his system rewarded him for changing Rin’s fate.

• Rin woke in an unfamiliar room and panicked when she sensed the Three-Tails and the curse seal were still inside her.
• Senju Chen reassured Rin that his sister had stabilized the Three-Tails’ chakra and that his sealing jutsu had stopped the curse seal from controlling her.
• Chen told Rin she could not return to Konoha because enemies might trigger the seal and unleash the Three-Tails in the village.
• Chen revealed that he and Shisui had reported Rin dead in battle, and Rin agreed to remain hidden until the curse seal was completely removed.
• Chen offered to pass a letter from Rin to Kakashi when the time was right, then left the room.

After changing Rin Nohara’s fate, Senju Chen drew a card that could make him the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki, but chose to rest before using it. The next morning, he planned to hide Rin in the Capital of Fire and returned to Konoha with a letter for Kakashi.

• Senju Chen received an extra skill slot and drew a special Isobu card that would generate a new Three-Tails inside him if claimed.
• Senju Chen rested overnight at Tsunade’s home, then told Tsunade he needed to return to Konoha and proposed hiding Rin Nohara in the Capital of Fire.
• Tsunade gave Senju Chen medicine to stabilize his chakra, and he told Rin that someone would bring her to safety soon.
• Rin Nohara gave Senju Chen a letter for Kakashi, and Senju Chen accepted it before saying goodbye to Rin, Tsunade, and Shizune.
• Senju Chen used a spatial ripple to leave for Konoha.

After returning to Konoha, Senju Chen arranged for his trusted aide to hide Rin Nohara and brought the details of her dangerous cursed seal to Orochimaru. Orochimaru began investigating the seal, while he remarked that Chen had wisely kept the Senju Clan neutral.

• Senju Chen arrived in Konoha exhausted and asked Maruboshi Kosuke to secretly move Rin Nohara to the rear courtyard of Food Is Heaven in the Capital of Fire.
• Senju Chen told Orochimaru that Kirigakure had sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin Nohara and placed a cursed seal on her heart.
• Senju Chen explained that the cursed seal could control Rin's will and trigger the Three-Tails if anyone tried to remove it.
• Orochimaru asked Senju Chen to draw the seal, then studied its structure with intense interest.
• As Senju Chen prepared to leave, Orochimaru praised his decision to keep the Senju Clan neutral.

Senju Chen returned to Konoha exhausted after rescuing Rin Nohara and reflected on his system’s rewards and how changing pivotal characters’ fates earned powerful draws. He kept Rin’s letter to Kakashi for a later moment and began considering future targets and an ability for his empty skill slot.

• Senju Chen praised Orochimaru’s plan to gain clan support through personal backing, and Orochimaru promised him the Hokage position after stepping down.
• Senju Chen encountered Kabuto Yakushi carrying Orochimaru’s experimental records, then left the institute with Rin Nohara’s tear-stained letter to Kakashi.
• Senju Chen reviewed his seven skill slots and rewards, including a pending Isobu card that could make him a Three-Tails jinchūriki, but chose not to claim it yet.
• Senju Chen concluded that changing the fates of pivotal characters such as Hatake Sakumo, the Third Raikage, and Rin Nohara had earned his major system rewards.
• Senju Chen considered future targets including Shisui Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi, Jiraiya, Nagato, Yahiko, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, while deciding to rest before filling his empty skill slot.
• Senju Chen kept Rin’s letter from Kakashi and planned to reveal it at a moment that would affect Kakashi and Obito Uchiha.

Shimura Danzō told Konoha’s leaders that he had thwarted Kirigakure’s plan to destroy the village and that Rin Nohara had died stopping it. He expected the achievement to secure support for his Hokage bid, but the room’s silence left him suspecting Senju Chen had undermined him.

• Shimura Danzō claimed Kirigakure had abducted Rin Nohara, sealed Isobu inside her, and placed a Cursed Seal on her to trigger an attack from within Konoha.
• Shimura Danzō said he had sent Shisui Uchiha to investigate and that Root had eliminated the invading force, while Rin had sacrificed her life to prevent Isobu from being unleashed in the Land of Fire.
• Jiraiya reacted angrily to the news, while Minato Namikaze was shaken by the revelation about Rin.
• Shimura Danzō expected the leaders to praise his actions and support his Hokage bid, but they remained silent and showed little admiration.
• Shimura Danzō blamed Senju Chen for the meeting’s unexpected reaction.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned the crisis over Rin Nohara’s death into a call to confront Kirigakure and moved the Fourth Hokage election forward to one week away, undermining Danzo’s political strategy. Senju Chen recognized that the accelerated vote had cut off Danzo’s plans, while Danzo erupted in fury underground.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi promised to explain Rin Nohara’s death to her family, demanded an explanation from Kirigakure, and threatened that Konoha would not shrink from war.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi scheduled the Fourth Hokage election for one week later, with Konoha’s Jonin choosing the winner by secret ballot.
• Senju Chen and Orochimaru discussed how the Senju Clan’s declaration of neutrality had helped Hiruzen act decisively.
• Senju Chen reflected that the short timeline prevented Danzo from building support through Root’s intelligence network and public opinion.
• Shimura Danzō smashed a desk in his underground base and shouted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s name in anger.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi announced a vote in a week, Danzo decided to expose Orochimaru’s human experiments to undermine Hiruzen and turn the election in his favor. The evidence reached Hiruzen, who ordered Orochimaru’s bases surrounded and confronted his student in the laboratory.

• Danzo blamed Senju Chen’s declaration of neutrality and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tactics for his defeat in the Hokage election.
• Danzo ordered Root to send copies of Orochimaru’s human-experiment evidence to Hiruzen, the clan heads, and the village at large.
• Hiruzen read the evidence, declared a Class A alert, ordered Orochimaru’s known bases surrounded, and summoned Jiraiya.
• Hiruzen went to Orochimaru’s laboratory with two Anbu and confronted him over the experiments.