Recaps

Senju Chen learned that the scientists’ unstable creature proved White Zetsu Cells could support a Kekkei Genkai, though conflicting instincts and uncontrolled Wood Release energy kept it from developing properly. Amado proposed three ways to address the problem and recommended creating a simpler consciousness seed from scratch.

• Yamato panicked when Senju Chen saw the creature in the cultivation chamber, and Orochimaru explained that it was an experimental specimen created from Chen’s mental fragments and Wood Release Cells.
• Amado and Sasori described how the creature’s reactions and unstable growth proved that White Zetsu Cells could assimilate the Wood Release Bloodline.
• Orochimaru explained that the creature’s original plant instincts were fighting Chen’s implanted consciousness, while its newborn body could not control Wood Release energy.
• Amado proposed erasing the White Zetsu’s instincts, gradually guiding them into fusion, or optimizing the consciousness seed, and recommended starting with a simpler seed.

Senju Chen learned how Orochimaru, Amado, and Sasori had created two Red Zetsu as adaptable combat bodies, combining White Zetsu cells with multiple chakra systems and weapons. With their construction and calibration complete, the three left the final step to Chen.

• Senju Chen recognized that Amado’s plan to raise a growing organism resembled Orochimaru’s later method for creating Mitsuki, but he followed Orochimaru deeper into the laboratory to see the combat-ready masterpieces.
• Senju Chen found two scarlet humanoid bodies on operating tables, each containing energy greater and purer than that of ordinary White Zetsu.
• Sasori explained that the Red Zetsu bodies combined White Zetsu cells with Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear fibers to create a new chakra pathway network.
• Amado described how each Red Zetsu had five elemental hearts and an improved cursed seal that could amplify and store chakra while restraining the body if it lost control.
• Orochimaru explained that the Red Zetsu could use limited tailed-beast features, along with White Zetsu abilities, and could evolve through future modifications and equipment.
• Amado said the bodies had been built and calibrated using Xing’s data, then told Senju Chen that the remaining work was up to him.

Senju Chen implanted fragments of his soul into two Red Zetsu bodies, creating two clones that matched his appearance. The clones demonstrated their enhanced abilities in the laboratory, leaving Orochimaru, Amado, and Sasori eager to continue testing them.

• Senju Chen used Mental Implantation twice to place soul fragments in the two Red Zetsu bodies and experienced three viewpoints at once.
• The two Red Zetsu transformed into copies of Senju Chen and answered their first commands in unison.
• Number One unleashed a powerful Great Fireball, while Number Two rapidly switched between lightning, water, and wind transformations.
• Number One activated the Cursed Seal and fired dark purple lightning that pierced the layered alloy target.
• Number Two released tailed beast chakra, shattered the floor with a stomp, and struck the laboratory wall with enough force to shake the base.

Senju Chen tested his two clones’ abilities, including machinery compatibility, infiltration, chakra absorption, and regeneration. The clones then fused with his original body into powerful organic armor, which left Senju Chen feeling better than ever and Sasori inspired to use it as the vessel for his puppets.

• Senju Chen tested the cursed-seal clone’s compatibility with machinery by attaching Sasori’s bladed puppet arm to it.
• Senju Chen’s left clone demonstrated the Mayfly Technique by passing through the alloy floor and emerging from a distant wall.
• Senju Chen’s right clone used spores to drain chakra from a training dummy and transfer most of the absorbed energy back to itself.
• Senju Chen’s left clone severed its arm and reattached it using Earth Grudge Fear tendrils and White Zetsu cells.
• Senju Chen’s two clones fused with his original body to form dark red living armor, and Senju Chen declared that it felt better than ever.
• Sasori decided to use the fused clone’s body as the vessel for all his puppets.

Senju Chen tested his Red Zetsu clones and proposed using children with Kekkei Genkai to advance research while training them as his future team. After learning of Minato’s death and Chen’s takeover of Root, Orochimaru gave him Danzo’s contact codes for Root’s worldwide spy network.

• Senju Chen admired the clones’ abilities and proposed bringing the Kekkei Genkai children he had bought in the Land of Water to Orochimaru for research and training.
• Senju Chen suggested converting an ancient ruin into a new base because Orochimaru’s laboratory was too small and too close to Konoha.
• Senju Chen tested the clones at Orochimaru’s base over the following days.
• Orochimaru asked Senju Chen about Minato’s reported death, and Chen described the Nine-Tails attack, Danzo’s downfall, and his own takeover of Root while concealing his failed attempt to challenge the Death God.
• Orochimaru gave Senju Chen a scroll containing Danzo’s codes and procedures for contacting Root’s spies across the world, and Chen accepted it as a grand gift.

Senju Chen received Orochimaru’s intelligence scroll containing Danzo’s network codes, then learned that Danzo had defected and Shisui Uchiha had been gravely injured in the pursuit. Chen sent his clone to Konoha Hospital to check on Shisui and whether Danzo had taken his eye.

• Orochimaru gave Senju Chen a scroll containing the codes to Danzo’s intelligence network, and Chen gratefully accepted it.
• During Konoha’s funeral for the Nine-Tails attack victims, a Public Security Department member told Xing that Danzo had escaped the village.
• Chen learned that Danzo had defected after breaking through Anbu surveillance and injuring the guards.
• Chen received word that Shisui Uchiha had been severely injured while pursuing Danzo and was in Konoha Hospital.
• Chen explained the news to Orochimaru and ordered Xing to check Shisui’s condition, especially whether he had lost an eye.

After Shisui Uchiha survived a poisoning and reported how Shimura Danzō escaped with help from Root loyalists, Senju Chen went to confront Konoha’s leaders. The chapter ended as Mitokado Homura blamed Chen for the escape.

• Senju Chen visited Shisui Uchiha in the hospital and learned that his life was no longer in danger, though he had suffered severe injuries.
• Shisui told Chen that Root loyalists had helped Shimura Danzō break through the prison barrier, and that Danzō had defeated him with a poisoned blade.
• Chen reassured Shisui, praised his efforts, and left to meet Konoha’s leaders.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shikaku Nara discussed Danzō’s escape and proposed tracking and killing him.
• Mitokado Homura accused Senju Chen of being responsible for Danzō escaping under his people’s watch.

Senju Chen’s clone Xing persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to give the Public Security Department full authority to hunt Shimura Danzō. The department was tasked with bringing Danzō back alive or dead, and Xing left to begin the pursuit.

• Xing corrected Mitokado Homura, saying the Anbu had imprisoned Danzō and Shisui Uchiha had raised the alarm about his escape.
• Xing argued that ordinary pursuit teams could not find Danzō and asked for authority and resources to let the Public Security Department hunt him.
• Mitokado Homura warned that granting Xing Root’s authority could create a second Danzō, while Shikaku Nara supported the proposal as the only effective option.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Xing’s request and ordered him to bring Danzō back alive or return his body.
• Xing agreed and left the meeting room.

"Xing" gave Kabuto Yakushi the codes needed to control Root's intelligence network and ordered him to track down Shimura Danzō. Kabuto accepted the scroll, believing Orochimaru had provided it, and began activating the network.

• "Xing" told Kabuto Yakushi that the village had ordered the highest-priority hunt for the S-rank missing-nin, Shimura Danzō.
• Kabuto Yakushi explained that he had decoded less than ten percent of Root's intelligence network and could not use it without the key.
• "Xing" wrote out detailed contact codes and liaison methods covering more than ninety percent of the former Root network.
• "Xing" claimed that Teacher Orochimaru had given him the codes, and Kabuto Yakushi accepted the explanation with excitement.
• "Xing" ordered Kabuto Yakushi to activate every channel and find Shimura Danzō at any cost.

Shimura Danzō escaped Konoha after a clash with Shisui Uchiha, who was poisoned and forced to retreat to alert the village. Senju Chen told the Public Security Department that Danzō was now an S-rank missing-nin and rallied its former Root members to hunt him down.

• Shimura Danzō fought Shisui Uchiha with Wind Release and Baku, poisoned him with a kunai, and escaped with his followers.
• Shisui Uchiha withdrew and sent word to Konoha after failing to stop Danzō.
• Senju Chen announced that Danzō had fled Konoha and had been designated an S-rank missing-nin.
• Senju Chen presented the Council of Elders' mission order assigning the Public Security Department to hunt Danzō.
• A veteran member and the assembled Public Security Department pledged to pursue Danzō.

Senju Chen organized three squads to pursue Shimura Danzō and ordered Kabuto Yakushi to replace the former Root intelligence network’s codes and contacts. As Danzō fled toward the Land of Rain, he planned to use his network of spies and covert agents to retaliate against Konoha.

• Senju Chen ordered Shadow Bat, Night Owl, and Steel Fist to lead pursuit squads along three possible escape routes.
• Senju Chen told Kabuto Yakushi to replace the former Root network’s codes, communication frequencies, and contact identities.
• Shimura Danzō blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Senju Chen for his fall and vowed not to accept defeat.
• Shimura Danzō chose the Land of Rain as his destination and revealed that he had planted more than thirty thousand spies and covert agents throughout the Shinobi World.
• Shimura Danzō resolved to use his intelligence network to make Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Senju Chen pay.

Senju Chen agreed to send another twenty living White Zetsu to Amado, Sasori, and Orochimaru for research, then sent two clones to the underground cavern to retrieve them. He decided to use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to produce more White Zetsu, risking Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu noticing his actions.

• Amado, Sasori, and Orochimaru asked Senju Chen for more living White Zetsu after using most of the first fifty for experiments.
• Senju Chen agreed to provide twenty more and considered reproducing White Zetsu with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Senju Chen sent two clones to Lord Madara's cavern, one to retrieve twenty White Zetsu and the other to stay for a separate arrangement.
• The White Zetsu foreman greeted the clones and assured them that the cavern was secure.
• Senju Chen's clone ordered the foreman to select the twenty White Zetsu best suited to carrying out missions.

Senju Chen divided the White Zetsu into groups, sending some to the laboratory and others to gather corpses and multiply their numbers. He made the remaining twenty the foundation of a covert intelligence network and sent them to find and monitor a target.

• Senju Chen sent twenty White Zetsu with his clone to the laboratory as test subjects, while another twenty were selected for a mission.
• Senju Chen ordered a dozen White Zetsu to discreetly search the Land of Fire for fresh corpses and use them to replicate more White Zetsu.
• Senju Chen designated the remaining twenty White Zetsu as spies, planning to use their infiltration and eavesdropping abilities to build an intelligence network.
• Senju Chen instructed Foreman White Zetsu to manage the group, prioritize secrecy, and destroy themselves if exposed.
• After transforming into Shimura Danzō, Senju Chen ordered the twenty White Zetsu to find and secretly monitor a person, and told Foreman White Zetsu to report when they found him.

News of Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection unsettled the Shinobi World, prompting rival villages to consider how Konoha’s troubles might affect the balance of power. The chapter leaves Kirigakure watching Konoha while Obito, controlling Yagura, asks about intelligence on Senju Chen.

• Reports of Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection spread across the Shinobi World, raising fears of another war.
• Third Raikage A considered exploiting Konoha’s weakness, but Senju Chen’s strength made him cautious, so he sent his son to pay respects and assess Konoha.
• Hozuki Getsuga reported Konoha’s losses to Yagura, who was secretly controlled by Obito.
• Obito, speaking through Yagura, said Kirigakure would wait for others to test Konoha, preserve its strength, and continue its plan.
• Yagura asked Hozuki Getsuga how intelligence gathering on Senju Chen was progressing.

After Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection, leaders in the shinobi villages considered what Konoha’s turmoil meant for them. Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to strengthen its borders and wait, while Rasa asked Sunagakure’s elders how the news would affect their village.

• Yagura ordered Hozuki Getsuga to monitor Senju Chen and Konoha, locate Shimura Danzō, and spread the claim that Danzō killed Minato Namikaze before defecting.
• Ōnoki dismissed rumors that Danzō had plotted against Minato, ordered stronger border security, and told Iwagakure to track Danzō and wait for an opportunity.
• Ōnoki rejected Akatsuchi’s suggestion to attack Konoha, warning that Konoha remained powerful and could retaliate.
• Rasa heard that Minato Namikaze had died and Shimura Danzō had defected, then asked Granny Chiyo and Ebizo what the news meant for Sunagakure.

After Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection, Sunagakure weighed the risks and opportunities of Konoha’s weakness while Konoha’s leaders gathered to hear Senju Chen’s intelligence report. The chapter ended with the major villages probing Konoha and seeking advantage as its leadership faced a shifting balance of power.

• Granny Chiyo and Ebizo warned Rasa that Konoha’s decline could offer Sunagakure an opportunity but might also trigger a war, and Rasa ordered border reconnaissance and surveillance of Konoha.
• Rasa tasked Granny Chiyo with secretly contacting smaller nations and neutral forces, and ordered Shimura Danzō captured if he entered the Land of Wind.
• Senju Chen entered Konoha’s Council of Elder Advisors meeting to report on other nations’ reactions and Shimura Danzō’s whereabouts.
• Senju Chen reported that Kumogakure was probing Konoha, Kirigakure was spreading rumors about Danzō, and Iwagakure was tracking him for classified intelligence.
• Senju Chen told Konoha’s leaders that Rasa was seeking covert alliances and that the major hidden villages were testing Konoha’s weakness.

After Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection, Konoha’s leaders discussed choosing a new Hokage. Senju Chen proposed his sister Tsunade, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to serve temporarily until she returned.

• Senju Chen reported that Shimura Danzō had escaped beyond the Land of Fire and might leak Konoha’s secrets.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi called for a new Hokage to stabilize the village, but the leaders struggled to find a suitable candidate.
• Senju Chen proposed Tsunade, arguing that her lineage, strength, and reputation made her the best choice.
• Senju Chen agreed to find Tsunade and bring her back, and the attendees supported her becoming the Fifth Hokage.
• Hyuga Hiashi proposed that Hiruzen Sarutobi serve temporarily, and Hiruzen accepted until Tsunade returned.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha grieving Minato’s death and asked Senju Chen to explain the Nine-Tails attack. He was shocked and angry to learn that Chen had sent Minato and Kushina’s son to be fostered by the Uchiha Clan.

• Jiraiya mourned Minato at the Memorial Stone and questioned whether the prophecy of the Child of Prophecy had been wrong.
• Jiraiya visited Senju Chen, sensed an unsettling pressure around him, and wondered if Chen might be the Child of Prophecy.
• Senju Chen recounted the Nine-Tails attack, Minato and Kushina’s sacrifice, and Shimura Danzō’s failed coup and escape.
• Jiraiya wept when he heard that Minato and Kushina had died sealing the Nine-Tails, then asked where their child was.
• Senju Chen said he had sent Minato’s son to be fostered by the Uchiha Clan, and Jiraiya angrily challenged his decision.

Senju Chen persuaded Jiraiya that leaving Minato and Kushina’s infant with the Uchiha would honor the clan and give the child a safe home. At Fugaku’s residence, Chen ensured the baby was named Naruto Uzumaki, and Naruto and Sasuke slept side by side in the nursery.

• Senju Chen argued that entrusting Minato and Kushina’s orphan to the Uchiha would reward their service and earn their protection, leaving Jiraiya unable to object.
• Senju Chen and Jiraiya visited Fugaku and Mikoto, who worried that Jiraiya might take the baby away.
• Jiraiya saw the well-cared-for blond infant beside Mikoto’s son, Sasuke, and recalled that Minato had wanted to name his child Naruto.
• Fugaku suggested the name Naruto Uzumaki, but Senju Chen claimed Minato and Kushina had wanted their child to inherit Kushina’s surname.
• Jiraiya accepted Chen’s account of the parents’ dying wish, and Naruto Uzumaki remained in the nursery beside Sasuke.

Senju Chen and Uchiha Fugaku discussed the Uchiha Clan’s rising reputation after the Nine-Tails’ Attack and Fugaku’s concern that Hiruzen Sarutobi was quietly marginalizing them. Chen reframed Hiruzen’s actions as proof that the Uchiha’s success had made them a threat, leaving Fugaku newly encouraged.

• Jiraiya watched Uchiha Mikoto care for the sleeping babies while Senju Chen and Uchiha Fugaku left the nursery to talk.
• Uchiha Fugaku thanked Senju Chen for helping the Uchiha Clan expose Root operatives and earn the villagers’ respect.
• Fugaku said Hiruzen Sarutobi had excluded him from the postwar review and ignored the Uchiha Clan’s report of their actions.
• Fugaku worried that Hiruzen would undermine the clan’s influence and questioned whether Tsunade would support their plans if she became Fifth Hokage.
• Senju Chen told Fugaku that Hiruzen was suppressing the Uchiha because their successful actions had made him feel threatened.

Senju Chen advised Uchiha Fugaku to counter Hiruzen Sarutobi’s political suppression by making the Konoha Military Police Force indispensable to villagers, while preparing to support Senju Chen’s sister when she became Hokage. Hiruzen resolved to keep the Uchiha’s influence in check, unaware that Senju Chen was guiding Fugaku and treating Konoha as part of a larger plan.

• Senju Chen described Hiruzen Sarutobi as a political balancer and urged Fugaku to build popular support by having the Konoha Military Police Force help villagers recover from the Nine-Tails' Attack.
• Senju Chen explained that his sister disliked administrative work and would value an effective military police force that could handle village affairs.
• Fugaku accepted Senju Chen’s advice and bowed to thank him for showing the way.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read the suppressed report of the Uchiha Clan’s contributions during the Nine-Tails' Attack and feared their strength and growing influence.
• Hiruzen decided that he had to suppress the Uchiha to prevent them from dominating Konoha, unaware that Senju Chen was directing Fugaku.

Senju Chen and Jiraiya encountered a bereaved Kakashi before discussing Tsunade’s return to Konoha. Chen revealed that Tsunade’s fear of blood had been cured, and Jiraiya eagerly offered to help bring her back.

• Senju Chen and Jiraiya left Uchiha Fugaku’s residence and found Kakashi alone in the damaged streets.
• Senju Chen told Kakashi that Fugaku and Mikoto would care for Minato’s child, while Jiraiya suggested he read his new book.
• Jiraiya asked why Senju Chen was certain Tsunade would return and accept the Hokage position.
• Senju Chen revealed that Tsunade’s fear of blood had been cured and said she would return after handling personal matters.
• Jiraiya rejoiced at the news and offered to go with Senju Chen to bring Tsunade back to Konoha.

Senju Chen prepared to leave Konoha to find his sister, delegating the Public Security Department to Kabuto Yakushi and checking on Anko and Shisui. He departed the village while maintaining the appearance that he had only just set out, though several versions of himself were already outside Konoha.

• Senju Chen dismissed Jiraiya's eager offer and went to the Public Security Department to review Kabuto Yakushi's progress integrating Danzo's intelligence network and tracking Shimura Danzō.
• Senju Chen gave Kabuto full authority over the Public Security Department while he was away, instructing him to prioritize intelligence and report anything involving the Hokage Building or Uchiha Clan.
• Senju Chen met Mitaraishi Anko at the dango shop and promised to bring his sister back soon, then told her to take care of herself.
• Senju Chen visited the recovering Shisui Uchiha at Konoha Hospital and told him to rest until he was fully healed, when he would receive an important assignment.
• After arranging Konoha's affairs, Senju Chen left through the village gates to keep up the appearance that he had begun his journey to find his sister.

Senju Chen visited Maruboshi Kosuke at the Food Is Heaven training base to offer him a newly developed White Zetsu limb replacement. Kosuke recalled how he lost his foot saving an intelligence operative, but Senju Chen urged him to accept the treatment and help guide Food Is Heaven’s expansion.

• After leaving Konoha, Xing received a message from Senju Chen to bring Maruboshi Kosuke to the training base.
• Xing found Kosuke reviewing intelligence reports and told him that recent research had made it possible to reconstruct a damaged limb.
• Kosuke remembered losing his left foot during the Second Shinobi World War when he shoved an injured intelligence operative out of an Iwagakure attack.
• Kosuke explained that he viewed his prosthetic foot as punishment for failing his mission and as a reminder of his fallen comrades, and hesitated to part with it.
• Senju Chen called the prosthetic a medal Kosuke had worn long enough and asked him to travel the Shinobi World on two intact legs as Food Is Heaven expanded.

Maruboshi Kosuke reported Food Is Heaven’s finances and intelligence from across the Shinobi World to “Xing,” who learned that Shimura Danzō might be hiding in the Land of Rain. Senju Chen ordered White Zetsu’s forces to search for Danzō and sent a clone to find Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu, determined to stop him from targeting Akatsuki.

• Maruboshi Kosuke agreed to keep pace with Senju Chen and gave “Xing” reports on Food Is Heaven’s profits, recruitment, and intelligence from the Five Great Nations.
• Maruboshi Kosuke passed along Kakuzu’s message that he and “Fang” had kept Hanzō occupied and that they might have found traces of Shimura Danzō in the Land of Rain.
• “Xing” relayed the report to Senju Chen, who suspected Danzō was planning to use Hanzō against Akatsuki.
• Senju Chen ordered Foreman White Zetsu to send half the forces searching for Danzō into the Land of Rain and to observe him without alerting him.
• Senju Chen sent a clone to find Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu so they could locate Danzō and capture or kill him.