Chapter Summaries

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.

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.