diff --git a/circuits/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.circom b/circuits/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.circom
index 4293d88..76e815e 100644
--- a/circuits/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.circom
+++ b/circuits/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.circom
@@ -33,29 +33,47 @@ template AESGCTRFOLD(NUM_CHUNKS) {
         aes[i].aad         <== aad;
     }
 
-    signal ciphertext_equal_check[NUM_CHUNKS][16];
-    for(var i = 0 ; i < NUM_CHUNKS; i++) {
-        for(var j = 0 ; j < 16 ; j++) {
-            ciphertext_equal_check[i][j] <== IsEqual()([aes[i].cipherText[j], cipherText[i][j]]);
-            ciphertext_equal_check[i][j] === 1;
-        }
+    // Regroup the plaintext and ciphertext into byte packed form
+    var computedCipherText[NUM_CHUNKS][16];
+    for(var i = 0 ; i < NUM_CHUNKS ; i++) {
+        computedCipherText[i] = aes[i].cipherText;
     }
+    signal packedCiphertext[NUM_CHUNKS] <== GenericBytePackArray(NUM_CHUNKS, 16)(cipherText);
+    signal packedComputedCiphertext[NUM_CHUNKS] <== GenericBytePackArray(NUM_CHUNKS, 16)(computedCipherText);
+    signal packedPlaintext[NUM_CHUNKS] <== GenericBytePackArray(NUM_CHUNKS, 16)(plainText);
 
-    
-    var packedPlaintext[NUM_CHUNKS];
-    for(var i = 0 ; i < NUM_CHUNKS ; i++) {
-        packedPlaintext[i] = 0;
-        for(var j = 0 ; j < 16 ; j++) {
-            packedPlaintext[i] += plainText[i][j] * 2**(8*j);
-        }
+    signal plaintext_input_was_zero_chunk[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal ciphertext_input_was_zero_chunk[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal both_input_chunks_were_zero[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal ciphertext_option[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal ciphertext_equal_check[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    for(var i = 0 ; i < NUM_CHUNKS; i++) {
+            plaintext_input_was_zero_chunk[i] <== IsZero()(packedPlaintext[i]);   
+            ciphertext_input_was_zero_chunk[i] <== IsZero()(packedCiphertext[i]);
+            both_input_chunks_were_zero[i] <== plaintext_input_was_zero_chunk[i] * ciphertext_input_was_zero_chunk[i];
+            ciphertext_option[i] <== (1 - both_input_chunks_were_zero[i]) * packedComputedCiphertext[i];
+            ciphertext_equal_check[i] <== IsEqual()([packedCiphertext[i], ciphertext_option[i]]);
+            ciphertext_equal_check[i] === 1;
     }
-    signal hash[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    step_out[0] <== AESHasher(NUM_CHUNKS)(packedPlaintext, step_in[0]);
+}
+
+// TODO (autoparallel): Could probably just have datahasher take in an initial hash as an input, but this was quicker to try first.
+template AESHasher(NUM_CHUNKS) {
+    // TODO: add this assert back after witnesscalc supports
+    // assert(DATA_BYTES % 16 == 0);
+    signal input in[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal input initial_hash;
+    signal output out;
+
+    signal not_to_hash[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal option_hash[NUM_CHUNKS];
+    signal hashes[NUM_CHUNKS + 1];
+    hashes[0] <== initial_hash;
     for(var i = 0 ; i < NUM_CHUNKS ; i++) {
-        if(i == 0) {
-            hash[i] <== PoseidonChainer()([step_in[0],packedPlaintext[i]]);
-        } else {
-            hash[i] <== PoseidonChainer()([hash[i-1], packedPlaintext[i]]);
-        }
+        not_to_hash[i] <== IsZero()(in[i]);
+        option_hash[i] <== PoseidonChainer()([hashes[i],in[i]]);
+        hashes[i+1]    <== not_to_hash[i] * (hashes[i] - option_hash[i]) + option_hash[i]; // same as: (1 - not_to_hash[i]) * option_hash[i] + not_to_hash[i] * hash[i];
     }
-    step_out[0] <== hash[NUM_CHUNKS - 1];
-}
+    out <== hashes[NUM_CHUNKS];
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/circuits/test/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.test.ts b/circuits/test/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.test.ts
index c1f2de2..1d918b6 100644
--- a/circuits/test/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.test.ts
+++ b/circuits/test/aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc.test.ts
@@ -28,13 +28,14 @@ describe("aes-gctr-nivc", () => {
         let plainText = [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00];
         let iv = [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00];
         let aad = [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00];
-        let ct = [0x03, 0x88, 0xda, 0xce, 0x60, 0xb6, 0xa3, 0x92, 0xf3, 0x28, 0xc2, 0xb9, 0x71, 0xb2, 0xfe, 0x78];
+        // let ct = [0x03, 0x88, 0xda, 0xce, 0x60, 0xb6, 0xa3, 0x92, 0xf3, 0x28, 0xc2, 0xb9, 0x71, 0xb2, 0xfe, 0x78];
 
         const ctr = [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01];
         const step_in = 0;
 
-        const witness = await circuit_one_block.compute({ key: key, iv: iv, plainText: plainText, aad: aad, ctr: ctr, cipherText: ct, step_in: step_in }, ["step_out"])
-        assert.deepEqual(witness.step_out, PoseidonModular([step_in, bytesToBigInt(plainText)]));
+        const witness = await circuit_one_block.compute({ key: key, iv: iv, plainText: plainText, aad: aad, ctr: ctr, cipherText: plainText, step_in: step_in }, ["step_out"])
+        console.log(witness.step_out);
+        assert.deepEqual(witness.step_out, BigInt(0));
     });
 
     it("all correct for self generated single non zero pt block", async () => {
@@ -110,4 +111,20 @@ describe("aes-gctr-nivc", () => {
         let hash_0 = PoseidonModular([step_in_0, bytesToBigInt(plainText1)]);
         assert.deepEqual(witness.step_out, PoseidonModular([hash_0, bytesToBigInt(plainText2)]));
     });
+
+    it("all correct for two folds at once one zero chunk", async () => {
+        circuit_two_block = await circomkit.WitnessTester("aes-gcm-fold", {
+            file: "aes-gcm/nivc/aes-gctr-nivc",
+            template: "AESGCTRFOLD",
+            params: [2]
+        });
+
+        const ctr_0 = [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01];
+        const step_in_0 = 0;
+        let zero_chunk = Array(16).fill(0);
+
+        const witness = await circuit_two_block.compute({ key: key, iv: iv, aad: aad, ctr: ctr_0, plainText: [plainText1, zero_chunk], cipherText: [ct_part1, zero_chunk], step_in: step_in_0 }, ["step_out"])
+        let hash_0 = PoseidonModular([step_in_0, bytesToBigInt(plainText1)]);
+        assert.deepEqual(witness.step_out, hash_0);
+    });
 });
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d3287f8..80d75cf 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "web-prover-circuits",
   "description": "ZK Circuits for WebProofs",
-  "version": "0.5.4",
+  "version": "0.5.5",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",