Chapter Summaries

Sukemori exchanged a final farewell with Iko while the Minamoto pressed the Taira toward the Battle of Dan-no-ura. Onstage, Uchiha Setsuna stunned the audience by truly shooting a distant Gunbai from a rocking ship.

• After Koremori's death, Sukemori's plea to Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa went unanswered, but Iko's letter reached him and he sent her a farewell waka.
• Minamoto no Yoshitsune's relationship with Shizuka Gozen blossomed as Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa's favor and Yoshitsune's court appointment angered Minamoto no Yoritomo.
• Minamoto no Yoshitsune used a night raid and a display of torches and white flags to make the Taira flee, bringing them closer to the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
• Izuna staged the Nasu no Yoichi fan-shooting episode and moved the fan-bearing attendant to a tower behind the audience.
• Uchiha Setsuna drew his bow and hit the center of the distant Ageha butterfly Gunbai, prompting the audience to erupt in cheers.

The Taira lost the Battle of Dan-no-ura after a sudden headwind and a collapse in morale turned the tide for the Minamoto. As the Taira family and its Ninja faced defeat, they chose death over capture, bringing the battle’s tragic end to the stage.

• A pod of dolphins swam toward the Taira fleet, and a sudden headwind filled the Minamoto sails while the Taira’s morale collapsed.
• After a Taira ship revealed the imperial ship’s location, Lady Tokiko took Emperor Antoku and the Three Sacred Treasures and leaped into the sea; Tokuko and the attendants followed.
• Sukemori and Arimori leaped into the sea together, and Taira no Tomomori sank himself with a heavy anchor as the Taira samurai died or threw themselves overboard.
• Higa Shintarō and the surviving Taira Ninja wrapped Explosive Tags around themselves and charged a Minamoto ship, detonating the tags in a final attack.

After Shintarō’s declaration and the Ninja’s deaths forced the audience and nobles to confront how they treated Ninja as tools, Takuichi secretly saved Sukemori and left wearing his armor to draw away the Minamoto. As Izuna prepared the closing song, Takuma’s improvised words awakened painful, unexplained fragments of memory in him, but the darkened stage helped him regain composure.

• The audience reacted with anger and grief to the Ninja calling themselves tools, then reconsidered their assumptions about Ninja after someone pointed out that they had once viewed them that way.
• Hashirama resolved that Konoha’s Ninja would be guardians rather than expendable tools, while Madara reflected on Izuna’s effort to change how people regarded Ninja.
• Takuichi rescued the unconscious Sukemori from the sea, hid him in a rocky crevice, and put on his Taira armor to lead the searching Minamoto away.
• Uchiha Takuma forgot Takuichi’s rehearsed speech and told Sukemori to stay alive before walking off to draw the pursuers away.
• Izuna heard Takuma’s words and recalled fragments of a promise, but a young Uchiha darkened the stage with Genjutsu, prompting Izuna to refocus on the performance as the closing song began.

After the play ended, the audience’s affection for the performers turned into gifts and pleas for the ninja to stay. Izuna redirected their enthusiasm into plans to visit and support Konohagakure, while the young Daimyo decided to invite him personally.

• After the performers bowed, the audience stayed seated and called out, asking whether they would leave for Konoha and return to dangerous missions.
• Lady Wakako ran onto the stage, offered Rei valuable gifts, and asked to buy her red hair bow; Izuna arranged to sell the prop for the reward of a D-rank mission.
• Nobles offered gifts to the actors, but Hashirama and Madara struggled to manage the crowd when people objected to the ninja taking missions.
• Izuna proposed paid visits to Konohagakure, meetings with ninja, and gentle commissioned activities, then set rules for gifts and limited conversations until five in the afternoon.
• The young Daimyo recognized Izuna’s influence and went onto the stage to extend a personal invitation.

After the performance, the Daimyo discussed a new, more equal relationship between the Land of Fire and Konoha with Hashirama and Madara. Meanwhile, Tobirama detected someone using space-time Ninjutsu near the Daimyo’s residence and arrived just after the unknown person escaped.

• The Daimyo praised the play and told Hashirama and Madara he wanted Konoha to have a future beyond serving as the Land of Fire’s weapon.
• Hashirama and Madara considered how to build a new partnership with the Daimyo, and Hashirama agreed the details required careful, long-term discussion.
• Hashirama noticed Tobirama’s Chakra signature had vanished but continued the conversation with the Daimyo.
• Tobirama detected a spatial fluctuation at one of his Flying Thunder God Formulas near the Daimyo’s residence and teleported to investigate.
• Tobirama found the warehouse undisturbed, but sensed that an unknown person had used another spatial jump moments before he arrived.

Tobirama failed to catch the mysterious figure after it jumped toward Konoha, then discovered a black scroll on his office desk. In the Capital, Hashirama and Madara brought Izuna into their stalled negotiations with the Daimyo to help turn their ideals into workable plans.

• Tobirama searched Kyoto for the mysterious presence, but found no unfamiliar powerful Chakra signatures and returned near the theater.
• As Izuna performed the play’s final scene, Tobirama sensed another spatial jump toward Konoha and teleported to the village, but the figure escaped again.
• Tobirama returned to the Hokage Building, where he found a pitch-black scroll on the center of his desk.
• Hashirama’s proposals for cooperation with the Land of Fire were rejected as impractical by Madara and the Daimyo.
• Hashirama and Madara summoned Izuna to help with the negotiations, and Izuna joined the Daimyo’s meeting after asking where they had become stuck.

Uchiha Izuna proposed making Konoha a highly autonomous Special Administrative Region within the Land of Fire, persuading the Daimyo that negotiated cooperation was preferable to conflict. The Daimyo accepted the proposal as a basis for further talks, while Izuna left the detailed negotiations to Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama.

• Izuna explained that a Konoha Special Administrative Region could govern its internal affairs while recognizing the Daimyo's sovereignty and supporting the Land of Fire in times of crisis.
• When the Daimyo questioned Konoha's independent powers, Izuna admitted he had considered becoming king, then argued that Ninja preferred autonomy and peace to ruling a country.
• The Daimyo concluded that rejecting the proposal risked conflict and agreed to use it as the basis for detailed discussions.
• Izuna tried to leave before negotiations over the details began, explaining that Tobirama or the others should handle them.
• Hashirama proposed a letter of intent and further talks after Konoha consulted internally, and the Daimyo and Madara agreed.

Izuna rushed to rescue Uchiha Shinya after the System warned him that Senju Hideki, possessed by Black Zetsu, was attacking. Shinya was badly wounded while keeping his identity hidden, and Izuna arrived just as the killing blow was about to land, revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan and Sage Mode.

• The System gave Izuna an emergency mission to rescue Uchiha Shinya and showed Senju Hideki closing in on him.
• Uchiha Shinya and the Biwa masters walked back toward the Biwa Courtyard after Izuna’s performance had changed their view of the Ninja.
• Black Zetsu possessed Senju Hideki and attacked Shinya, planning to expose him as an Uchiha infiltrator and provoke conflict between the Senju and Uchiha Clans.
• Shinya dodged the first strike but suffered a severe shoulder wound, and he refused to reveal his Sharingan while fleeing from Hideki.
• Hideki cornered Shinya and prepared to kill him, but Izuna arrived and manifested the Mangekyō Sharingan and Sage Mode.

Izuna freed Senju Hideki from Black Zetsu and pursued the divided creature through Kyoto, damaging buildings while leaving civilians unharmed. Madara stopped Izuna at the city’s edge, and Izuna collapsed from exhaustion as Black Zetsu escaped; Madara and Hashirama left with him, suspecting the incident was more complicated than they had thought.

• Izuna slashed Senju Hideki with a blue blade that passed through his body and tore Black Zetsu out of him, injuring the creature as it split apart and fled.
• Izuna chased Black Zetsu through Kyoto, repeatedly striking at its traces and wrecking streets and buildings while civilians remained unharmed.
• Black Zetsu divided its escape between the ground, the city’s shadows, and the forest, but Izuna’s attacks continued to wound it without stopping it.
• Madara reached Izuna and called him to stop, briefly interrupting the pursuit; Black Zetsu then vanished into the darkness, and Izuna’s powers faded before he collapsed.
• Madara caught Izuna and found him exhausted but without external injuries, while Hashirama examined the damage and noted that the civilians were unharmed.
• Madara and Hashirama left with Izuna, agreeing that the evil presence and the destruction made the incident more complicated than they had thought.

After Uchiha Izuna’s destructive battle in Kyoto threatened Konoha’s hard-won public goodwill, the High Command prepared to contain the backlash. Eyewitnesses and Biwa hōshi instead spread a tale of Izuna as a guardian who defeated a possessing yōkai without harming anyone, leaving Konoha’s leaders stunned by the favorable public response.

• Nara Shikahiko, Uchiha Naoaki, and Madara planned to explain the incident as an attack by an outside evil force and win the Daimyo’s support.
• Kyoto witnesses compared accounts and realized Uchiha Izuna had pursued a black monster while his blue blade passed through people without injuring them.
• Biwa hōshi recast the incident as Izuna vanquishing a possessing yōkai and spread verses portraying him as a divine protector.
• Konoha intelligence agents found Kyoto residents repeating the Biwa hōshi’s favorable version of events and reported it to the temporary quarters.
• The Konoha High Command fell silent after hearing that public opinion had turned in Izuna’s favor.

After the destruction of a Kyoto street, Konoha began rebuilding it with ninjutsu and took responsibility for the damage, winning the civilians’ admiration and cooperation. Nara Shikahiko rebuffed a noble’s attempt to draw Izuna away from Konoha, while the noble began to reconsider whether ninja and ordinary people could coexist peacefully.

• Hashirama and Konoha’s leaders decided to compensate residents and rebuild the damaged street openly with ninjutsu.
• Hashirama used Wood Release to raise houses as Konoha ninja cleared rubble and repaired the street, while civilians watched in amazement.
• A young Senju ninja told civilian children that ninja should repair what they had broken and use their strength to help others.
• A noble sent by the Daimyo questioned Nara Shikahiko about Izuna’s health and hinted that Izuna should live in Kyoto, but Shikahiko emphasized Izuna’s importance to Konoha.
• The noble recalled the Daimyo’s belief that Izuna’s restraint and willingness to negotiate showed compassion, and that the Daimyo wanted to win him over.
• Watching civilians and ninja work together, the noble began to question his belief that their differences in power made peaceful coexistence impossible.

Uchiha Shinya apologized to the Biwa musicians and traded insults with Senju Hideki, while Konoha prepared to leave the rebuilt capital. The villagers’ chaotic farewell ended with the Daimyo’s emotional goodbye, and Izuna worried about facing Madara and Hashirama after the journey home began.

• Uchiha Shinya confessed his undercover mission to the Biwa musicians, who accepted his apology and praised his playing.
• Senju Hideki apologized to Shinya for attacking him while controlled, but the two soon argued and exchanged insults.
• After three days of reconstruction, Konoha’s group prepared to leave as Izuna woke shortly before their departure.
• A crowd overwhelmed the departing Ninjas with thanks, food, keepsakes, and affectionate advances, while the Daimyo tearfully clung to Izuna’s hand.
• Konoha’s group finally escaped the crowd and left the capital, and Izuna admitted he was more worried about facing Madara and Hashirama than the farewell crowd.

A swordsman fought through a sea of light and shadow, destroying the yokai that poured from it. When a man carrying a sickle and fan blocked his path, the swordsman deliberately offered his neck and was beheaded, his face peaceful as he fell.

• A barefoot swordsman leaped from a cliff into a shifting sea of light and shadow with a blue blade of energy.
• The swordsman cut into the sea, releasing a horde of yokai formed from negative emotions and chaotic energy.
• He advanced through the yokai, destroying them with his blue blade until their attack began to subside.
• A long-haired man holding a sickle and fan appeared and blocked the swordsman’s path.
• The swordsman stepped forward and offered his neck to the sickle, and his head was severed as his body fell into the sea.

On the carriage ride to Konoha, Izuna told Madara and Hashirama a detailed account of a past they did not remember, explaining his closeness to them and his fighting style. He ended with the founding of Konohagakure, and Madara asked why Izuna had instinctively thought Hashirama was dead.

• Madara pressed Izuna to explain his past, his new power, and what had happened when he went berserk, but Izuna said he could not remember that night.
• Izuna began recounting how he followed Madara to the river, met Hashirama, and later fought and exchanged techniques with Tobirama.
• Izuna described a confrontation between their fathers in which Hashirama was gravely wounded and Izuna lost sight in his left eye while saving Tobirama.
• Izuna said that he, Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama secretly worked to ease tensions between their clans and eventually reached an agreement to cease fighting and found a village.
• Izuna recalled the building of Konohagakure and said he helped coordinate personnel and handle diplomatic work.
• Madara asked Izuna why he had instinctively thought Hashirama was dead.

Izuna told Madara and Hashirama that, in his world, Hashirama died after Black Zetsu exploited an old heart injury. The account left Hashirama stunned and Madara grieving as they considered the fate of another version of Hashirama.

• Madara confronted Izuna about the Suggestion that Hashirama was dead, and Izuna said Black Zetsu had killed him.
• Izuna explained that Hashirama’s childhood wound at the Naka River had left his heart vulnerable, though Hashirama hid his recurring symptoms.
• Izuna said Hashirama’s heart injury flared after days of overwork, and he left the Hokage Building alone to avoid worrying others.
• Black Zetsu interfered with Hashirama’s Chakra and worsened his heart trouble, causing Hashirama to die before Tobirama could reach him.
• Hashirama sat stunned and pressed a hand to his healthy heart while Madara clenched his fists, shaken by Izuna’s story.

Madara and Hashirama returned to Konoha with Izuna, troubled by the painful memories he had shared and by his effort to hide his feelings behind cheerfulness. The village welcomed them with its usual quiet routine, and Izuna invited Madara to go home.

• Madara and Hashirama stayed silent after Izuna recounted a painful past in which Hashirama had died and Izuna had suffered great losses.
• Izuna left the carriage and kept the convoy laughing with stories, jokes, and conversations, while Madara resolved to protect him and Hashirama tried to match his cheerfulness.
• The convoy arrived in Konoha and found the village carrying on as usual, with most residents giving them only casual greetings.
• Izuna greeted familiar villagers, asked whether Three-Colored Dango had sold out, and learned that one had been saved for him.
• Izuna told Madara they should go home, and Madara ruffled his hair and agreed.

Hashirama found Tobirama exhausted in his laboratory, where Tobirama revealed that another-world version of himself had left a scroll containing technical data about Izuna’s eye and a final request to keep Izuna safe. Hashirama suspected Izuna had buried painful memories of that Tobirama’s sacrifice, then made his own brother rest.

• After returning to Konoha, Izuna went home with Madara, while Hashirama headed to the Hokage Building to look for Tobirama.
• Hashirama found Tobirama in the laboratory, exhausted from three sleepless days and nights.
• Tobirama told Hashirama that another-world version of himself had visited and left a scroll explaining how Izuna’s left eye had been made.
• Tobirama read aloud the other Tobirama’s final request: to care for Izuna, not tell him about the other Tobirama, and let him be happy.
• Hashirama concluded that Izuna might have unconsciously sealed away painful memories connected to the other-world Tobirama and his sacrifice.
• Hashirama ordered Tobirama to sleep, and Tobirama gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep.

While Izuna slept, Madara planned how to handle the Konoha visitor program, the Uchiha uproar over Hinata awakening his Sharingan through acting, and tensions in the Hyuga Clan. He decided to enlist Tobirama and Hashirama for the village’s next steps, then set out to find Hashirama.

• Madara watched Izuna sleep, placed the container holding Izuna’s eye in his study, and considered the urgent matters awaiting them.
• Madara recognized that nobles, including the Daimyo’s wife, were already seeking visits to Konoha and decided to prepare rules, fees, reception plans, and security arrangements.
• Madara considered the Uchiha Clan’s divided reactions to Hinata awakening a single-Tomoe Sharingan while acting, and decided to handle the clan matter himself.
• Madara inferred that the Hyuga Clan was unsettled after branch-family performers won acclaim in Kyoto, and decided Hashirama should express concern or mediate.
• Madara concluded that Hashirama’s Hokage appointment and Konoha’s visitor program needed to move forward, planned to ask Tobirama for help, and went to find Hashirama.

Hashirama told Madara that the Tobirama from Izuna’s world had left a scroll describing Izuna’s Samsara Eye and asking them to keep Izuna happy without telling him. Madara agreed to let Izuna forget, then, after discussing Konoha’s urgent plans with Hashirama, watched Izuna sleep and privately asked him to forgive his selfishness.

• Hashirama told Madara that the other-world Tobirama had left technical information about Izuna’s eye and asked them not to mention him to Izuna.
• Hashirama explained that Izuna might have lost memories of what happened and could be protecting himself from remembering it, and Madara said they should let him forget.
• Madara and Hashirama discussed the Hokage inauguration, public rules, opening Konoha to outsiders, and the Hyuga family matter.
• Madara reflected that he had feared the other Tobirama would take Izuna away, then felt ashamed and relieved when he learned Tobirama had left without meeting Izuna.
• Madara returned home, saw Izuna sleeping, and silently asked him to forgive his selfishness for being unable to bear losing him again.

After returning to Konoha, Izuna discovered that villagers credited him with transforming the Ninja’s future, then found Madara and Hashirama planning a shabby visitor area. He tore up their plan and ordered them to create a unique Ninja-themed park instead.

• Izuna woke late, ate breakfast, and headed to the Hokage Building while villagers and Ninja stared at him with awe over rumors of his achievements in Kyoto.
• Izuna spotted Madara and Hashirama’s rudimentary open area, which consisted of scattered festival stalls, and continued to the Hokage Building.
• Tobirama awkwardly told Izuna that Madara and Hashirama were struggling with the visitor area, then hurried away when Izuna teased him.
• Izuna found Madara and Hashirama reviewing a crude plan for stalls, a rest area, and an entrance.
• Izuna tore up the plan and scolded Madara and Hashirama for offering visitors an unimpressive market.
• Izuna told Madara and Hashirama to build a one-of-a-kind Ninja theme park, leaving them confused by his idea.