Recaps

In the Land of Rain, Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo discussed Akatsuki’s guerrilla tactics and Senju Chen’s influence over the conflict with Hanzo of the Salamander. White Zetsu appeared with a report about his mission to observe Shimura Hanzō.

• Kakuzu complained that their payment did not match the danger of facing Hanzo and protecting Akatsuki, while Hatake Sakumo said he could abandon the mission if he wished.
• Kakuzu recounted how Akatsuki used tunnels, traps, raids, and support from villagers to evade and weaken Hanzō’s forces.
• Hatake Sakumo explained that Senju Chen’s strategy extended beyond battles, while Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo acknowledged that Chen was shaping the conflict across the Land of Rain.
• Hatake Sakumo said Chen had given Akatsuki’s leaders the chance to put their ideals into practice, but their success depended on how they adapted.
• White Zetsu emerged from the cave and addressed Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu after previously earning their trust by identifying Senju Chen and his assignment to observe Shimura Hanzō.

Hatake Sakumo learned that Shimura Danzō was hiding in the Land of Rain and ordered White Zetsu to watch him. Danzō discovered his intelligence network had gone silent, while Senju Chen arrived to meet Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu.

• Hatake Sakumo told White Zetsu to keep Shimura Danzō under close surveillance and report any movements.
• Shimura Danzō waited three days without hearing from his contacts and feared that his intelligence network had been destroyed.
• Shimura Danzō blamed the silence on a possible purge and realized he was vulnerable without reliable information.
• Senju Chen used his Mayfly Technique to travel to the Land of Rain and found Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo.
• Kakuzu asked Senju Chen to renegotiate his profit-sharing arrangement, and Senju Chen teased him about his obsession with money.

Senju Chen heard Hatake Sakumo’s report on the Akatsuki’s growing influence and the escalating conflict with Hanzo, while Shimura Danzō remained mysteriously idle in Valley Village. He reassured Sakumo about Kakashi and promised a reunion in Konoha, then offered Kakuzu a lifelong share of Food Is Heaven’s profits.

• Kakuzu demanded money for the resources and expenses he had covered, and Senju Chen assured him he would receive his share.
• Hatake Sakumo reported that the Akatsuki had disrupted Hanzo’s forces, gained support from villagers, and suffered heavy losses as Hanzo escalated his attacks.
• Sakumo said Shimura Danzō had stayed inside Valley Village for three days, and Senju Chen privately guessed that Danzō was waiting for something he would never obtain.
• Senju Chen told Sakumo that Kakashi was grieving Minato’s death but might recover by caring for Minato’s child.
• Senju Chen promised to bring Sakumo back to Konoha after Tsunade became Fifth Hokage, and offered Kakuzu one percent of Food Is Heaven’s profits for life.

Senju Chen reunited with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan at the Akatsuki’s base in the Land of Rain and warned them that the great nations were using their country to test Konoha’s strength. The chapter ended with Yahiko realizing that the Land of Rain had become a pawn in the larger power struggle.

• Senju Chen approached the Akatsuki’s hidden factory, where Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan recognized and welcomed him.
• Yahiko told Senju Chen that the Akatsuki had used guerrilla tactics and Explosive Tags to frustrate Hanzo’s forces, and mentioned two new members who were away on a mission.
• Senju Chen warned the Akatsuki that Hanzo and unidentified shinobi made their situation more dangerous than they realized.
• Senju Chen explained that Minato Namikaze’s death and Shimura Danzō’s defection had weakened Konoha’s perceived influence and encouraged other nations to probe its strength through the Land of Rain.
• Yahiko realized that foreign powers were turning the Land of Rain into a sacrifice in their struggle, and Senju Chen told him that this was reality.

Senju Chen advised Yahiko to avoid confronting Hanzo of the Salamander and the great nations’ factions while the Akatsuki built strength and support. He warned Nagato not to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, then reassured Konan of his support as their closeness deepened.

• Senju Chen told Yahiko to let rival factions wear each other down while the Akatsuki gathered capable people and prepared to gain control of the Land of Rain.
• Yahiko accepted that the Akatsuki should avoid a direct clash and make the Land of Rain their home ground until Konoha’s new Hokage took office.
• Senju Chen warned Nagato that the Rinnegan could attract dangerous enemies and made him promise never to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Senju Chen explained to Konan that he had arranged for the two mysterious experts to help the Akatsuki so Yahiko and Nagato could develop confidence and responsibility.
• Senju Chen promised to protect Konan, and she told him she would keep wearing the paper rose he had given her.

Senju Chen spent two days at Akatsuki’s base advising Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan before meeting the returning Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo. He left the base to resume his village mission, promising to visit again once things settled down.

• Senju Chen teased Konan while advising her on Amegakure’s supply routes, and she fled to review the map.
• Yahiko introduced Senju Chen to Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo after they returned from a mission.
• Kakuzu demanded payment for the mission and informant expenses while Hatake Sakumo silently played along with Senju Chen’s act.
• Two days later, Senju Chen told Yahiko to lie low and win over the people, and Nagato recalled Senju Chen’s warnings about the Summoning Jutsu.
• Konan gave Senju Chen a package of provisions, and he pinched her cheek before leaving into the rain.

Senju Chen sent Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu to kill Shimura Danzō after White Zetsu reported that Danzō had fortified Valley Village. The team eliminated all five concealed sentries, leaving Danzō alone in his stone house as he sensed the smell of blood and realized his guards had vanished.

• White Zetsu reported that Danzō had remained inside Valley Village and that his Root ninja had established five concealed sentry posts.
• Senju Chen ordered Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu to eliminate the sentries quietly and make Danzō experience despair.
• Hatake Sakumo killed Root sentries in the grove and abandoned mill while Kakuzu killed patrols near the swamp.
• Two masked black monsters used Fire Release: Searing Migraine and Wind Release: Pressure Damage to burn the final sentry and nearby trees.
• Shimura Danzō noticed a faint smell of blood and realized the chakra signatures of his subordinates outside had disappeared.

Senju Chen confronted Shimura Danzō at his hideout with Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu, then fought him as Danzō summoned a giant tapir. Chen summoned Monkey King Enma to counter it, leaving the battle poised to continue.

• Shimura Danzō rushed outside and found Senju Chen, Hatake Sakumo, and Kakuzu standing among his dead sentries.
• Senju Chen revealed that he had helped Hatake Sakumo fake his death, and Danzō attacked with Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
• Senju Chen used the Flying Thunder God Technique and Rasengan to strike Danzō, while Hatake Sakumo and Kakuzu blocked his escape routes.
• Danzō summoned a giant tapir whose suction pulled at the fighters and the surrounding ground.
• Senju Chen summoned Monkey King Enma and asked him to deal with Danzō's summoned beast.

Senju Chen defeated Shimura Danzō after restraining him with Wood Release and revealing his Sharingan. Danzō reflected on his life and died when Chen struck him with a Rasengan.

• Monkey King Enma attacked the black tapir and pinned it down, leaving Danzo without his summon’s support.
• Senju Chen used Wood Release to bind Danzo and drain his chakra, interrupting his Izanagi.
• Senju Chen revealed his Sharingan, and Danzo realized Chen possessed both Senju and Uchiha bloodline powers.
• Danzo accused Chen of manipulating Konoha’s factions, while Chen mocked him and offered him a final chance to speak.
• Danzo remembered his rivalry with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the choices that shaped his life.
• Senju Chen pierced Danzo’s chest with a Rasengan, and Danzo died remembering Hiruzen offering to go with him.

Senju Chen cleared away the traces of Danzo’s death and visited the experimental base in the Land of Waterfalls, where Orochimaru, Amado, and Sasori planned research on children with Kekkei Genkai. He left the children in their care and prepared to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha and become Hokage.

• Monkey King Enma defeated the black tapir, and Senju Chen sealed Danzo’s corpse in a scroll for Hatake Sakumo to send to Konoha.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered the White Zetsu to erase every trace of the battle.
• At the experimental base, Amado and Sasori debated how to use the Kekkei Genkai children in their research, and Senju Chen required that the children survive and grow stronger.
• Yamato reported that the children brought from the Land of Water had been examined, had their genetic samples preserved, and were being cared for.
• Senju Chen credited Yukimura Shigure and Aying with sheltering the children and decided to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha as Hokage.
• Orochimaru asked Senju Chen to send more living White Zetsu specimens, but Senju Chen left without answering.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s clans learned that Senju Chen’s Public Security Department had killed Shimura Danzō and dismantled his network in less than a month. As Konoha’s balance of power shifted, Hyuga Hiashi began considering whether the Hyuga Clan should side with Senju Chen.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi received confirmation that Shimura Danzō had been killed and had revealed no secrets before his death.
• Little A learned that Senju Chen had led the operation and ordered the news sent to Kumogakure.
• In the hospital, Shisui Uchiha read the Public Security Department’s closing report and looked forward to working for Senju Chen after recovering.
• Shikaku Nara recognized that the Public Security Department’s new patrol districts reflected a shift in Konoha’s power, while Chōza Akimichi welcomed the village’s improved fortunes.
• Hyuga Hiashi reconsidered the Hyuga Clan’s allegiance after weighing Senju Chen’s growing influence and his likely future as Hokage.

After Senju Chen killed Shimura Danzō and established Konoha's Public Security Department, the other hidden villages assessed the threat posed by Konoha's new power. Obito ordered Kirigakure to strengthen its agents in the Land of Fire and investigate the department, resolving to eliminate Senju Chen.

• Third Raikage A and Dodai concluded that Konoha had openly consolidated Danzō's covert forces under the Public Security Department and warned other villages against challenging it.
• Ōnoki told Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi that Danzō's death marked a shift in Konoha's leadership and chose to wait for Tsunade's return before acting.
• Obito, controlling Yagura, recognized Senju Chen as a repeated threat after Chen killed Danzō and disrupted his plans.
• Obito ordered Hozuki Getsuga to raise the concealment level of Kirigakure's agents in the Land of Fire and investigate the Public Security Department and its members.
• Obito decided that he needed to find a way to eliminate Senju Chen before completing the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Senju Chen traveled to the Land of Whirlpools and reunited with Tsunade and Shizune after finding them in a casino. After telling Tsunade how he had killed Shimura Danzō, he faced her question about why he had come.

• Rasa and the Sunagakure elders abandoned their plan to form an alliance against Konoha after learning how decisively Konoha had handled Shimura Danzō's defection.
• Senju Chen and Yamato arrived at the ruined Land of Whirlpools and headed for the town where Tsunade and Shizune were staying.
• Tsunade lost her money gambling, and Senju Chen broke the wrist of a samurai who tried to touch her.
• Senju Chen embraced Tsunade and reunited with her and Shizune before taking them to an inn.
• Senju Chen told Tsunade he had killed Shimura Danzō, and Tsunade praised him before asking why he had come.

Senju Chen told Tsunade about Minato and Kushina’s deaths and exposed Yamato’s history as the sole survivor of Danzo’s Wood Release experiments. Tsunade learned that Yamato was family, but avoided Chen’s unspoken hope that she would return to Konoha and instead dragged him off to gamble.

• Senju Chen recounted the Nine-Tails’ Attack and the deaths of Minato and Kushina to Tsunade and Shizune.
• Yamato accidentally used Wood Release, shocking Tsunade and making her suspect he was a Senju.
• Senju Chen explained that Danzo had experimented on sixty infants with Hashirama’s cells and that Yamato was the sole survivor, once known as Kinoe.
• Tsunade’s anger turned to sympathy as Senju Chen called Yamato family, and she condemned Danzo’s experiments.
• Tsunade recognized why Senju Chen had come but dodged the subject of becoming Hokage by asking him to help with her gambling debts.
• Senju Chen promised to win back Tsunade’s losses, and Tsunade pulled him toward the casino.

Senju Chen used his keen hearing to win Tsunade a fortune at a casino in the Land of Whirlpools, then learned she had come there searching for a way to resolve his bloodline conflict. He reassured her that a solution already existed and that they had made a breakthrough.

• Senju Chen joined Tsunade at the casino and used his sharp hearing to predict the dice, winning bet after bet.
• Tsunade celebrated their growing winnings until the casino manager begged them to stop, and Senju Chen agreed to leave with their fortune.
• As they walked through town, Tsunade asked Senju Chen how he had learned to gamble, and he brushed off the question as luck.
• Senju Chen asked why Tsunade and Shizune had come to the Land of Whirlpools, and Tsunade explained she was searching for information about resolving conflicts between bloodlines.
• Senju Chen took Tsunade's hand and told her they had already made a breakthrough toward solving his bloodline conflict.

Senju Chen reassured Tsunade that Orochimaru was developing a way to resolve his bloodline conflicts, and they visited the Uzumaki Clan ruins. At the shrine, Chen remembered that the Death God Mask in Konoha could provide a way to counter the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

• Senju Chen told Tsunade that Orochimaru was studying White Zetsu cells to create compatible cells that could stop Chen’s bloodlines from rejecting one another.
• Tsunade accepted the explanation and regained hope that Orochimaru could save her younger brother.
• Tsunade suggested visiting the Uzumaki Clan ruins, and the next day she, Senju Chen, and their companions traveled to the clan’s ancestral shrine.
• Tsunade and Shizune paid their respects before the shrine’s masks, while Senju Chen recognized their connection to the Death God Mask.
• Senju Chen recalled that Orochimaru had found the real Death God Mask at a Mask Storage Temple near Konoha and planned to retrieve it for study.

Senju Chen, Tsunade, Shizune, and Yamato spent a year traveling the Shinobi World, while Senju Chen kept his projects moving through his clones. As Tsunade considered whether to return to Konoha, she admitted she did not want to go back, and Senju Chen resolved to support her choice.

• Senju Chen traveled with Tsunade, Shizune, and Yamato, and Tsunade reflected on how the journey had helped her recover from her dejected state.
• Senju Chen received updates that Maruboshi Kosuke had recovered, Food Is Heaven had opened ten branches, and more than two hundred White Zetsu had been cultivated and assigned to various duties.
• Senju Chen's clone continued efforts in the Land of Water to locate Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu and recruit talent from Kirigakure.
• Senju Chen and Shizune shared a tender moment, and Shizune told him she trusted him to protect her.
• Tsunade told Senju Chen that she did not want to return to Konoha because she dreaded its political scheming and burdens, and he decided to support her whatever she chose.

After deciding that she could no longer hide from Konoha’s troubles, Tsunade returned to the village with Senju Chen and was welcomed as a source of hope. As they headed for the Hokage Building, villagers and ninja followed, believing her return could save Konoha.

• Tsunade told Senju Chen she wanted to return to Konoha and face the village’s troubles.
• Tsunade and Senju Chen arrived at Konoha’s gates, where the guards recognized her and raised the alarm.
• News of Tsunade’s return spread through the village, and civilians and ninja gathered to welcome her.
• An old Jonin greeted Tsunade, and she told the crowd that she had returned and had heard about the village’s situation.
• Senju Chen urged Tsunade to go to the Hokage Building, and the villagers and ninja followed them.

Tsunade returned to the Hokage's Office and faced Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two elders as Konoha's leadership prepared for her to take power. Senju Chen's presence made clear that the elders had abandoned their ambitions and accepted the Senju family's dominance.

• Tsunade entered the Hokage's Office with Senju Chen while Yamato and Shizune waited outside.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed Tsunade and recognized that his time as Acting Hokage had ended.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura welcomed Tsunade and accepted that her return would diminish their authority.
• The elders recalled Shimura Danzō's death and Senju Chen's destruction of Root, deciding to serve Tsunade rather than risk opposing her.
• Senju Chen stepped forward and bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi with a humble manner and an unyielding tone.

Tsunade accepted the nomination to become the Fifth Hokage, and Konoha celebrated her return as she went home to the Senju estate with Senju Chen. There, Chen began briefing her on the village’s security and the pressure from Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura agreed that Tsunade would succeed as the Fifth Hokage in three days, and Tsunade accepted.
• Konoha’s villagers and shinobi celebrated the news while Hiruzen Sarutobi watched from the Hokage's Office with relief.
• Senju Chen brought Tsunade, Shizune, and Yamato to the Senju estate, where Mitaraishi Anko arrived and joined them in cleaning the residence.
• Senju Chen told Tsunade that Sunagakure and Iwagakure had been probing Konoha’s borders and said he had powerful resources to support her leadership.

Senju Chen told Tsunade how he was expanding Konoha’s intelligence network, research programs, and security forces as part of his plan to establish a unified order across the Shinobi World. Tsunade worried about the scale and danger of his ambitions, but accepted that she had to do her best as Hokage.

• Senju Chen described how the Public Security Department had absorbed Root’s intelligence assets, how Food Is Heaven supported its network, and how his laboratory had advanced medical and mechanical research.
• Senju Chen revealed that he had rescued children with Kekkei Genkai from the Land of Water and arranged for Orochimaru to train them, alarming Tsunade with the prospect of a Kekkei Genkai army.
• Senju Chen planned to expand the Public Security Department and gradually integrate the Uchiha Police Force through personnel exchanges, while Tsunade questioned whether Konoha’s leadership would accept the department’s growing power.
• Senju Chen explained that entrusting Minato’s orphan to the Uchiha Clan would reassure them and give the child a better upbringing, while keeping the clan aligned with the village.
• Senju Chen declared that he wanted to build a cross-border law enforcement organization to enforce peace and provide a better life for people throughout the Shinobi World.
• Tsunade warned Senju Chen that his ambition was dangerous and exhausting, then ruffled his hair and resolved to prove herself as Hokage.

Tsunade teased Senju Chen about his closeness with Shizune and Anko before the two discussed her future as Hokage. Later, Senju Chen secretly went to the Uzumaki Clan’s Mask Storage Temple and took the Death God Mask, finding the Reaper Death Seal formula written on its back.

• Tsunade asked Senju Chen whether he preferred Shizune or Anko and joked that he could marry both.
• Tsunade reminded Senju Chen that he was the last male Senju and bore the responsibility of continuing the clan.
• After Tsunade retired, Senju Chen slipped out of the estate and headed for the Uzumaki Clan’s forgotten Mask Storage Temple.
• Senju Chen identified the Hannya mask as the one that communicated with the Death God and removed it from the wall.
• Senju Chen found the Reaper Death Seal’s principles and execution formula written on the back of the mask.

Senju Chen discovered that the Death God trapped souls outside reincarnation and took the Uzumaki masks for Orochimaru to study. Three days later, Tsunade’s return and impending inauguration as Hokage drew Konoha together, and she walked toward the Hokage Building amid the villagers’ support.

• Senju Chen learned from the Reaper Death Seal scroll that the Death God enslaved captured souls, and resolved to find a way to counter the technique to bring back Minato Namikaze.
• Senju Chen took the twenty-six remaining Uzumaki masks and planned to have Orochimaru investigate them.
• On the morning of Tsunade’s inauguration, Senju Chen complimented his sister as she dressed in their late mother’s formal kimono.
• Tsunade and Senju Chen left the Senju residence and walked through a crowd of villagers who welcomed her return and showed their support.
• Senju Chen saw Uchiha Fugaku, the Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads, and Hyuga Hiashi among the observers, and recognized that Tsunade’s succession was uniting Konoha’s factions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi formally proposed Tsunade as Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, and the assembled clans and Jonin unanimously supported her. After Tsunade took office and celebrated with the village, Senju Chen visited her that night and said they needed to discuss serious business.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed that Tsunade succeed him as Hokage, and Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, Tsume Inuzuka, and the other Jonin voiced their support.
• Tsunade accepted the Hokage robe and promised to protect Konoha and its people, after which Hiruzen Sarutobi placed the Hokage hat on her head.
• The villagers and ninja celebrated Tsunade becoming Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, while Senju Chen watched and reflected on the plans that had helped secure her succession.
• That night, Senju Chen brought food to Tsunade in the Hokage’s Office, where she told him the responsibility felt heavier than she had imagined.
• Senju Chen thanked Tsunade for her new role and said it was time for them to discuss serious business.

Senju Chen negotiated with Tsunade to strengthen and reshape the Public Security Department through intelligence sharing, independent recruitment, and personnel exchanges with the Uchiha Clan’s Military Police Force. Tsunade agreed to the first two proposals in principle, and Chen began to raise a third request.

• Senju Chen asked Tsunade to make the Strategic Intelligence Division and the Public Security Department share intelligence, and Tsunade agreed while keeping final authority over intelligence and decisions.
• Senju Chen revealed that he was already deputy director of the Intelligence Division and said he would coordinate with Shikaku Nara himself.
• Senju Chen asked to recruit new Public Security Department members independently and arrange personnel exchanges with the Uchiha Clan’s Konoha Military Police Force.
• Senju Chen argued that the changes would bring Konoha-raised recruits into the department and gradually reform the Military Police Force, and Tsunade agreed to the plan in principle.
• Senju Chen immediately began presenting his third request.