Recaps

Araki fought a black bear in the woods to assess his strength, then tested his Purple Blood poison on it. He watched the wounded bear walk deeper into the forest, waiting to see whether the poison would kill it.

• Araki charged the black bear and knocked it to the ground with one powerful punch, gauging his physical strength.
• The bear attacked again, but Araki evaded its swipes and struck its back with a kunai coated in Purple Blood poison.
• Araki withdrew to a tree branch and watched as the bear's wound and blood began turning purple.
• The wounded bear left deeper into the woods, while Araki waited to learn whether the poison would prove fatal.

Araki confirmed that his Purple Blood poison could keep a wound bleeding until its victim died, then returned home and declined Kushina and Mikoto’s invitation to go shopping that afternoon. He agreed to take them out the next day, leaving both girls excited to spend time with him.

• Araki watched the poisoned black bear bleed for hours and confirmed that Purple Blood was effective.
• Araki returned home, where Kushina and Mikoto invited him to go shopping with them.
• Araki refused because he planned to study Medical Ninjutsu with Tsunade-sensei that afternoon.
• Araki suggested going out with Kushina and Mikoto the next day, and both girls celebrated.

Araki learned that Tsunade had an urgent village matter and postponed his lesson, while she asked him to watch over Nawaki. He decided to put off shopping with Kushina and Mikoto and stayed with Nawaki, who was troubled by Tsunade’s absence.

• Mikoto realized that the Uchiha Clan had discovered Araki owned Kushina’s house and decided she would have to leave after the next day.
• Araki went to Tsunade’s house for his lesson, but Tsunade left in a hurry and said she could not teach him the next day.
• Tsunade asked Araki to come by the next day because she was worried about Nawaki, and Araki agreed to stay with him.
• Araki suspected Dan Katō’s disappearance had caused the village’s unrest and worried that an attack on Nawaki could be blamed on him.
• Araki chose to postpone shopping with Kushina and Mikoto rather than risk exposing his Wood Clone.
• Nawaki called Araki “brother-in-law” to tease him, then grew quiet and curled up in worry.

Araki and Nawaki joked about romance before Araki redirected their conversation to medical ninjutsu and spent the afternoon teaching Nawaki. Araki left with a deeper understanding of medical theory, while Nawaki lay exhausted and complained about his nonstop talking.

• Nawaki complained that his older sister was unlikely to marry, and Araki questioned his harsh view of her.
• Nawaki pressed Araki to name someone he liked, and Araki casually named Nawaki’s sister.
• Nawaki suspected Araki was serious about liking his sister and teased him about being a good match for her.
• Araki changed the subject to medical ninjutsu, and Nawaki groaned at the thought of studying more theory.
• Araki spent the afternoon teaching Nawaki medical theory, improving his own understanding in the process.
• After Araki left, Nawaki collapsed onto the tatami and complained that Araki’s voice was still echoing in his head.

Tsunade discovered that Nawaki had learned medical theory from Araki and decided Araki should keep teaching him, leaving Nawaki terrified of both siblings. Araki returned home and found Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina flushed and unsteady, with the smell of alcohol coming from the bedroom.

• Tsunade found Nawaki lying on the tatami and asked what was wrong.
• Nawaki recited the medical knowledge Araki had taught him, convincing Tsunade that he had learned it.
• Tsunade arranged for Araki to teach Nawaki basic medical knowledge starting the next day, and Nawaki complained that she and Araki were devils.
• Tsunade struck the tatami hard enough to shake the floor after Nawaki said Araki would be a frightening brother-in-law.
• Araki returned home, where Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina appeared flustered and unsteady, and he smelled alcohol from the bedroom.

Araki caught Kushina and Mikoto drinking illegally, then stayed with them while they ate and continued drinking. As the alcohol loosened Mikoto’s tongue, she asked Kushina outright whether she liked Araki, leaving Kushina embarrassed and Araki speechless.

• Araki confronted Kushina and Mikoto after realizing they had been drinking, and Mikoto admitted she had brought the sake.
• Mikoto laid out the food she had prepared, and Araki agreed to eat but refused to drink.
• Mikoto and Kushina continued drinking sake while Araki watched over them.
• Mikoto asked Kushina whether she liked Araki, and Kushina blushed and struggled to answer.
• Mikoto reflected on her growing fascination with Araki and compared her feelings with her familiar relationship with Uchiha Fugaku.

Mikoto and Kushina drank with Araki and agreed to play truth or dare after he explained the rules. Araki refused to join, but the girls tried to persuade him by offering to cancel their shopping plans for the next day.

• Mikoto offered Araki sake, but he declined and continued eating rice balls.
• Mikoto proposed a question-and-drink game, and Araki explained truth or dare, including the penalty for refusing or failing a challenge.
• Mikoto and Kushina agreed to play while Araki served as referee.
• Mikoto and Kushina invited Araki to join, but he refused and said he would watch.
• Mikoto offered to cancel their shopping trip with Araki the next day if he played, and Kushina agreed.

Araki agreed to play truth or dare with Kushina and Mikoto, hoping the game would help him avoid shopping with them. The spoon picked Araki first, and Kushina asked whether he had ever thought about becoming Hokage.

• Araki agreed to play truth or dare with Kushina and Mikoto and set rules that required the chosen player to answer questions from both girls.
• Araki spun the spoon, which passed Kushina and Mikoto before stopping in Araki's section.
• Kushina and Mikoto celebrated that Araki had been picked, while Araki reluctantly prepared for his turn.
• Araki chose truth and let Kushina ask the first question.
• Kushina asked Araki whether he had ever thought about becoming Hokage.

Araki, Kushina, and Mikoto continued playing truth or dare, and Mikoto nervously chose a dare from Araki. The chapter left her facing a half bowl of vinegar that Araki told her to drink.

• Kushina asked Araki whether he had ever thought about becoming Hokage, and he said he had.
• Mikoto asked to claim her dare in advance, and Araki agreed to carry her back to bed if she got drunk and fell asleep.
• Araki spun the spoon, and it stopped in front of Mikoto.
• Mikoto chose dare, and Araki brought her half a bowl of vinegar to drink.
• Mikoto protested that Araki was a devil when she saw the vinegar.

During a truth-or-dare game, Mikoto admitted she liked someone but became unsure whether she still liked Fugaku or had developed feelings for Araki. Araki spun the spoon for the next round, then sensed four people approaching.

• Araki hosted the game and made Mikoto choose between drinking liquor and vinegar; she chose liquor.
• Kushina asked Mikoto whether she liked a boy, and Mikoto said she did.
• Mikoto thought of Fugaku and Araki, leaving herself uncertain about her feelings.
• Araki spun the spoon to begin the next round and sensed four people approaching.

Araki sensed a squad approaching while playing truth or dare with Kushina and Mikoto, so he sent out disguised Wood Clones to investigate. The clones identified the intruders as Kumogakure ninja, and Araki’s suspicion that they were connected to his previous encounter with the village remained unresolved.

• Araki opened the door and sent out two Wood Clones disguised first as himself and then as Uchiha Ueki.
• Araki returned to the table, where Kushina asked about his teachers and he named Ibuki-sensei.
• Mikoto asked Araki how strong he was at the Ninja Academy, while the Wood Clones moved to observe the approaching figures.
• The Wood Clones spotted three sneaking figures and a fourth person farther away, then recognized the three as Kumogakure ninja.
• Araki’s Wood Clones suspected the squad had come because the Kumogakure ninja he had previously dealt with had failed to report back.

Araki’s Wood Clones discovered another Kumogakure squad and lured its four ninja into the forest by disguising one clone as Kushina. Meanwhile, Araki kept playing a question game with Kushina and Mikoto, unaware of how the ambush would unfold.

• Araki’s two Wood Clones decided to eliminate the Kumogakure ninja and chose a plan to concentrate the power of their Explosive Tags.
• One Wood Clone transformed into Kushina and walked out to draw the four Kumogakure ninja after it.
• The disguised clone led the Kumogakure ninja toward the forest while Araki’s other clone followed behind, waiting for a chance to attack.
• At home, Mikoto asked Araki to assess his strength, and he claimed he might rank among the top five in their class at practice matches.
• Araki continued the game with Kushina and Mikoto while monitoring how long his Wood Clones had been away.

Araki used a Wood Clone disguised as Kushina to lure three Kumogakure ninja into a trap, poisoning and binding them with his Wood Release. As he prepared to eliminate them before they could report his ability, the squad leader rushed in and heard vines coming from behind him too.

• Araki continued playing a spoon-spinning truth-or-dare game with Kushina and Mikoto while his Wood Clones remained away.
• Three Kumogakure ninja trapped Araki's Wood Clone disguised as Kushina in a net as their squad leader watched from a distance.
• Araki's clone waited until the three ninja approached, then revealed its Wood Release and bound them with thorny vines.
• The vines cut the three Kumogakure ninja, and Araki poisoned them with Purple Blood, but he decided he still needed to kill them before they could report his Wood Release.
• The squad leader charged toward the bound ninja, then heard vines shooting through the air behind him as well as in front.

Araki’s Wood Clones trapped four Kumogakure ninja and detonated Explosive Tags, while Araki, Kushina, and Mikoto played a drinking game. The chapter ended as Araki suddenly felt his head grow heavy and strange thoughts flood his mind.

• Araki’s Wood Clones bound the Kumogakure squad and his three companions, then detonated their Explosive Tags and held them in the flames.
• Araki’s Wood Clones kept the burning area contained, planning to dispel themselves when Konoha ninja arrived.
• Kushina chose Mikoto’s dare to drink the vinegar, but instead drank her sake and then chose truth with Araki.
• Araki asked Kushina whether she would keep his secrets, and Kushina promised she would.
• As Araki reached for the spoon to begin the next round, his head grew heavy and intense thoughts flooded his mind.

An explosion and fire erupted in Konoha while Araki was with Kushina and Mikoto, leaving the three of them to wonder what had happened. Araki advised the girls not to investigate, and they asked him what he thought the cause might be.

• Kushina and Mikoto were startled by an explosion and fell on top of Araki, then quickly got up after realizing their awkward position.
• Mikoto and Kushina asked what had caused the blast, while Araki said he did not know and noted that they had been together the whole time.
• Mikoto saw flames and smoke outside and worried that people might need help.
• Araki told Kushina and Mikoto not to rush toward the fire because Jonin would handle the danger and the girls were not yet Genin.
• Kushina and Mikoto asked Araki what might have happened, with Kushina privately fearing another invasion.

Araki suspected intruders and a hidden Konoha mastermind had targeted both Kushina and Mikoto, but he kept his suspicions private and resumed playing with them. Meanwhile, Konoha ninja extinguished the forest fire and discovered four charred bodies, prompting calls for the Military Police Force.

• Araki told Mikoto he suspected intruders had caused the explosion and wondered whether the attack was connected to her return to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Araki considered that the mastermind might have used the Kumogakure ninja to target Mikoto as well as Kushina, but he kept the girls from dwelling on the danger.
• Araki insisted that the explosion had nothing to do with them and restarted the truth-or-dare game with Kushina and Mikoto.
• Konoha ninja rushed to the burning forest and used Water Release to extinguish the flames.
• The ninja found four charred bodies among the remains and called for the Military Police Force.

The Konoha Military Police Force investigated the site where four people had been burned alive, and Uchiha Nanagen'u discovered evidence linking the victims to Kumogakure. The chapter ended as investigators confirmed that all four burned Forehead Protectors belonged to Kumogakure shinobi.

• The Konoha Military Police Force arrived and pushed aside the shinobi who had extinguished the fire.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u examined the four bound victims and concluded they had been burned alive.
• A police force member found a charred Forehead Protector and revealed it belonged to a Kumogakure shinobi.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u ordered the others checked, and investigators found three more Forehead Protectors.
• The investigators confirmed that all four Forehead Protectors belonged to Kumogakure shinobi.

Uchiha Fugaku argued that the killer was among the people gathered to put out the fire and asked to examine the scene. Uchiha Nanagen'u heard Fugaku’s reasoning, while the crowd remained under the Konoha Military Police Force’s control.

• A Konoha ninja reported that the four charred bodies were accompanied by Kumogakure forehead protectors, and Uchiha Nanagen'u cautioned everyone not to assume the bodies’ identities.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u ordered the onlookers to leave, but Uchiha Fugaku arrived and insisted that the killer was among them.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u had the Konoha Military Police Force quietly seal off the crowd and asked Fugaku to explain his accusation before examining the scene.
• Fugaku reasoned that the killer had burned the bodies before causing the explosion, then joined the crowd to watch the investigation and confirm that the Kumogakure forehead protectors had been found.

Uchiha Fugaku examined the burned bodies and concluded that a Kumogakure plot was meant to frame Konoha and provoke a diplomatic crisis. He laid out the killers’ possible methods, motives, and political goals for Uchiha Nanagen'u, who began to recognize Fugaku’s ability.

• Fugaku examined the four burned bodies and found a deformed shuriken among the remains.
• Fugaku reasoned that the bodies were likely Konoha residents and that the killer had planted Kumogakure forehead protectors to frame the village.
• Fugaku concluded that the killer was probably from Kumogakure and might have come with accomplices disguised as people fighting the fire.
• Fugaku predicted that Kumogakure’s envoys would use the deaths to demand compensation and threaten war.
• Fugaku argued that Kumogakure had the means, benefits, and motive to weaken other villages and increase its own strength through plunder.

Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Nanagen'u concluded that Kumogakure ninja were behind the explosion and began searching for them, leaving Fugaku in charge at the scene. At home, Araki played truth or dare with Kushina and Mikoto, agreed to visit Uzushiogakure with Kushina, and said he would save both women if they fell into a river.

• Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Nanagen'u decided Kumogakure ninja had caused the explosion and suspected they had an insider in Konoha.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u put Fugaku in charge of questioning the people at the scene while he organized a search for hidden Kumogakure ninja.
• Mikoto and Kushina continued playing truth or dare with Araki, who chose truth when the spoon pointed at him.
• Kushina asked Araki whether he would visit Uzushiogakure with her, and he agreed.
• Mikoto asked Araki which of her and Kushina he would save if both fell into the village river, and he said he would save them both.

Araki, Mikoto, and Kushina played a penalty game while Uchiha Fugaku struggled to find the Kumogakure killers among the gathered villagers. Kushina passed out after drinking, and Araki carried her inside to rest.

• Araki bluntly told Mikoto he would choose Kushina if he had to save one of them, embarrassing Mikoto and prompting Kushina to ask whom Mikoto would save.
• Uchiha Fugaku found no disguised Kumogakure ninja among the gathered villagers and ordered the Konoha Military Police Force to release them and search for other possible witnesses or suspects.
• Fugaku concluded the killers had likely watched from a distance or left before he arrived, then vowed to catch them.
• Mikoto dared Kushina to drink three cups of alcohol, and Kushina drained them before collapsing.
• Araki used the Mystical Palm Technique to check Kushina, explained that she was merely drunk, and offered to carry her into the bedroom.

Araki carried the unconscious Kushina to bed, then continued drinking games with Mikoto, who was determined to get him to drink. He questioned her about the Uchiha Sharingan, and Mikoto was left facing another question as she neared drunken collapse.

• Araki carried the unconscious Kushina to the bedroom, tucked her in, and returned to Mikoto.
• Mikoto persuaded Araki to keep playing their drinking game, and he agreed so she would eventually pass out and leave him free to work.
• Araki spun the spoon until it pointed at Mikoto, who chose truth, but refused to reveal whether she had awakened her Sharingan and drank instead.
• Araki spun the spoon again until it pointed at Mikoto and asked whether Uchiha Fugaku had awakened his Sharingan.
• Mikoto, confused and very drunk, did not answer before the chapter ended.

Araki cared for the unconscious Mikoto and Kushina, then trained at home while reflecting on the attack by four Kumogakure ninja. At a meeting in the Hokage’s office, Uchiha Yuto reported that the explosion site contained four restrained bodies and Kumogakure forehead protectors.

• Araki carried the unconscious Mikoto to Kushina’s bedroom, laid her beside Kushina, and covered them both.
• Araki cleaned up, concealed the sake bottles, reviewed his Wood Clones’ memories of the attack, and began making Explosive Tags.
• The next morning, Araki stayed home to protect the sleeping women, trained with squat jumps, and continued crafting Explosive Tags.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzō, and Konoha’s Jonin gathered in the Hokage’s office as Uchiha Yuto arrived with three other Military Police Force ninja.
• Uchiha Yuto reported that investigators found four charred bodies in the woods, signs they had been restrained before the explosion, and four Kumogakure forehead protectors.

Uchiha Nanagen'u reported that the four bombing victims were likely Konoha residents and that Kumogakure intruders were responsible. The Third took custody of the investigation’s next steps and postponed deciding how Konoha would respond to Kumogakure.

• Uchiha Yuto asked Uchiha Nanagen'u to explain the bombing investigation to the Third and the Jonin.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u said the victims were probably from Konoha and that the Kumogakure forehead protectors at the scene could have been planted to mislead investigators.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u reported that his team had captured twelve Kumogakure ninja who had entered Konoha through a gap in the barrier.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u said the suspects had swallowed dissolvable papers bearing partial maps of Konoha, but none had confessed or been identified as a killer.
• The Third asked for the prisoners if questioning produced no results, and Uchiha Nanagen'u agreed to continue the interrogation and report back.
• The Third heard Jonin debate whether to confront Kumogakure or avoid another war, then adjourned the meeting without announcing a decision.

The Third and Danzo discussed the evidence surrounding the dead Kumogakure intruders, while Uchiha Yuto and Uchiha Nanagen'u left the Hokage’s office convinced that the case remained unresolved. Later, Araki went to train after Kushina woke, and Kushina and Mikoto recovered from their hangovers and discussed Mikoto leaving.

• The Third and Danzo agreed that Konoha lacked grounds to challenge Kumogakure, while Danzo suspected the intruders had been killed by someone from Konoha and questioned who had supplied them with maps.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u complained that the Third would not hold Kumogakure accountable, and Uchiha Yuto explained that Konoha could not risk a conflict after the Second Shinobi World War.
• Uchiha Nanagen'u suspected a mole had helped the intruders enter Konoha and argued that the actual killers were still hiding in the village, but Uchiha Yuto warned that he had no evidence.
• Araki waited for Kushina and Mikoto to wake, then left for Tsunade’s house to continue his medical training.
• Kushina and Mikoto woke with hangovers, shared soup, and agreed to play together again before Kushina offered to walk Mikoto home when she had packed.