Chapter Summaries

Izuna joined Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama for a meeting with the Uzumaki Clan about Konoha’s Special Administrative Region status. Quhai argued that Konoha needed political power to protect itself from future wars, but Izuna challenged the Uzumaki delegation for interfering in Konoha’s affairs.

• Izuna persuaded Madara to let him attend the meeting with the Uzumaki Clan.
• At the Hokage Building, Izuna rebuked Uzumaki Wataru for questioning why the Uchiha brothers were present.
• Quhai urged Hashirama to seek greater autonomy and a role in the Land of Fire’s political structure, warning that other nations would eventually threaten Konoha.
• Tobirama rejected Quhai’s call for political power, insisting that Konoha had been established to give Ninja a stable home and peace.
• Quhai warned that Konoha could not avoid future wars, even with the Tailed Beasts, because powerful fighters and rival nations could overwhelm its leaders.
• Izuna asked whether Quhai’s advice amounted to interference in Konoha’s internal affairs.

Izuna exposed Quhai’s attempt to incite Konoha into rebellion and sent the Land of Whirlpools delegation away. After they left, Hashirama enthusiastically hugged Izuna until Madara intervened, and Izuna escaped by bringing up the afternoon rehearsal.

• Izuna challenged Quhai’s advice as interference in Konoha’s internal affairs and questioned his motives.
• Izuna explained that Konoha lacked the people and unity to rule the Land of Fire, then accused Quhai of inciting rebellion.
• Quhai and the others left after Hashirama ended the meeting, while Madara laughed at their defeat.
• Hashirama tightly hugged Izuna to praise him, and Madara repeatedly ordered him to let go.
• Izuna mentioned the rehearsal to make Hashirama release him, then hid behind Madara as Hashirama asked to watch it.

Izuna dismissed the Land of Whirlpools’ political arguments and prepared for the amusement park’s opening, while his touch transformed Sōsuke’s Ultimate Technique Illustration. In the Land of Fire’s Capital, the Land of Earth’s envoy and his guards were astonished by the bright nighttime streets, and Ōnoki wondered what awaited him in Konoha.

• Izuna advised Hashirama and Tobirama to stop meeting with the Land of Whirlpools’ delegation, and they agreed.
• Izuna told Sōsuke to give the delegation a choice between leaving and staying for the amusement park’s opening.
• Izuna touched Sōsuke’s Ultimate Technique Illustration, causing it to burn away and reappear with Sōsuke surrounded by flames and peonies.
• The Land of Earth’s envoy arrived at the Land of Fire’s Capital and instructed his party to rest before visiting the Daimyo the next day.
• The envoy and his guards awoke to the brightly lit streets, while Ōnoki compared the city with the Land of Earth and wondered what Konoha would be like.

A red-haired young man struggled against golden chains in a world consumed by fire until a barefoot figure with a blue-violet blade shattered his shackles. The young man rose in red armor as peonies spread through the flames, and he met the figure’s gaze without hesitation.

• A young man strained against golden chains that bound him in a burning wasteland.
• A barefoot figure emerged from the flames and used his blade to shatter the chains.
• Peonies erupted across the ground as the flames receded, then spread while burning alongside them.
• Red armor formed around the young man, who stood and met the blade-wielding figure’s gaze without hesitation.

Hashirama struggled under the pressure of preparing Konoha for its future and the arrival of foreign envoys, while Madara reflected on the marriage that had once been arranged for him. After sharing rice balls, Madara and Tobirama headed back to work, and Hashirama hurried after them with his lunchbox.

• Tobirama summoned rice balls for a hungry Hashirama, and Madara joined them for lunch.
• Madara recalled how his clan had arranged for him to marry a girl from the Chinoike Clan, whose family later sent her to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
• Madara remembered that he had avoided further marriage pressure as events between the Uchiha and Senju changed and Konoha was founded.
• Madara told Hashirama to get back to work, and Tobirama left with him while Hashirama hurried after them, still clutching the lunchbox.

Izuna continued preparing for the new program and visited the Hyuga Clan Compound for the fifth day in a row to collect Tetsuya, Akari, and Ren. Tetsuya brought along his cousin Shūichi, the boy Izuna had defeated in the Hyuga duel, who had been eager to meet him again.

• Izuna heard the familiar warning drumming as he walked through a quiet alley but ignored it.
• Izuna arrived at the Hyuga Clan Compound, where the guard recognized him and went to announce his visit.
• Tetsuya, Akari, Ren, and Hyuga Ibara came out to meet Izuna.
• Izuna recognized Shūichi as the last Hyuga boy to charge him during their duel.
• Tetsuya introduced Shūichi as his cousin and explained that Shūichi had been asking about Izuna and insisted on coming along.

Izuna discovered that Hyuga Shūichi had learned Rotation after only six months and invited him to join the amusement park rehearsal. Sōsuke delivered Izuna’s ultimatum to the Uzumaki visitors, who chose to stay, then walked with Hideki and began reconnecting with him.

• Izuna checked Shūichi’s profile, learned he was thirteen and had studied Rotation for six months, and invited him to the rehearsal.
• Tetsuya, Akari, Shūichi, Ibara, and Ren followed Izuna toward the rehearsal area.
• Sōsuke told Quhai and Hang that they could leave or stay for the amusement park opening, and Quhai chose to stay.
• Quhai asked Hideki to walk with Sōsuke, and Sōsuke spoke gently with him about how he had come to Konoha.
• Sōsuke recommended a roast chicken shop, and Hideki felt comforted by the familiar warmth in his voice.

Hideki met Sōsuke for a meal and learned why Konoha’s clans could not simply secure power through marriage or political arrangements. He returned to Quhai admitting he had failed, then watched ordinary life in Konoha and reflected on the hatred its people had buried.

• Sōsuke praised Konoha’s progress and repeated Uchiha Izuna’s belief that the village was still circling its past.
• Hideki told Sōsuke that Quhai wanted the Uzumaki Clan to gain influence in the Land of Fire through marriage, but Sōsuke explained that Konoha’s clans still carried deep mutual hatred.
• Sōsuke asked Hideki whether he could live peacefully with the Hagoromo Clan, which had killed his father, and Hideki admitted that he could not.
• Hideki recalled Uchiha Izuna’s warning that Konoha’s hatred had only been suppressed, then spent the rest of the visit chatting with Sōsuke before leaving.
• Hideki told Quhai that he had failed and did not explain what Sōsuke had helped him understand.
• Hideki sat by his inn window and watched Konoha’s people go about their ordinary lives, with no visible sign of their past blood feud.

Hideki wondered why Konoha’s leaders and Sōsuke held Uchiha Izuna in such high regard after hearing Yuansheng complain about him. Meanwhile, Izuna arrived at rehearsal and was left to endure Shinya and Hideki’s familiar argument.

• Yuansheng told Hideki that Konoha had become livelier in the past month and credited Hashirama Senju with improving the village.
• Yuansheng called Uchiha Izuna a Tengu and criticized his treatment of Lord Quhai during the diplomatic meeting.
• Hideki recalled how Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Sōsuke had all shown unusual approval of Izuna, and wondered who he really was.
• Izuna arrived at the rehearsal grounds and found Uchiha Shinya and Senju Hideki arguing over the music.
• Tetsuya quietly led his family away, leaving Izuna alone to deal with the bickering performers.

Shūichi watched the performers rehearse and reflected on his humiliating defeat by Izuna, whose skill had left him unable to land a single blow. Three days later, Izuna arrived at the Hyuga compound and left with Tetsuya, Akari, and the Branch Family girl, leaving Shūichi wondering why Tetsuya seemed so pleased to go with him.

• Shinya and Hideki argued over how to play their music until Izuna calmed them, and rehearsal began.
• Shūichi watched the group work and recalled how observing adults had taught him Rotation, but Izuna had effortlessly evaded all of his attacks.
• Shūichi remembered Izuna turning the humiliating fight into a farce, which left him unsure where to direct his anger and curious about Izuna.
• After the Hyuga Clan elders met and the Clan Head visited the Hokage Building, Shūichi assumed he would return to training as usual.
• Three days later, Izuna came to the Hyuga compound, and Tetsuya left with him alongside Akari and the Branch Family girl.

Shūichi joined Tetsuya on a visit to Izuna’s Theatre Troupe to find out why Tetsuya was so happy, but Izuna had Setsuna take Shūichi away to learn Kyudo. Izuna and Tetsuya discussed the Hyuga Clan’s cooperation, and Izuna left Tetsuya protesting his unwanted hug.

• Shūichi asked Tetsuya why he was happy, and Tetsuya invited him to visit Izuna the next morning.
• Shūichi arrived at the Theatre Troupe and watched Izuna with the determination to find his weakness.
• Izuna told Setsuna to beat Shūichi up and teach him Kyudo, so Setsuna carried the surprised boy away.
• Tetsuya said the Hyuga Clan accepted Izuna’s arrangements, and Izuna apologized for being too strong.
• Izuna declared that he acknowledged Tetsuya as Akari’s fiancé and asked him for a hug, which Tetsuya refused.

Shūichi was forced into Kyudo training under Uchiha Setsuna after being beaten for directing killing intent at Izuna. Meanwhile, envoys from the four countries met with the Land of Fire to question Konoha’s Special Administrative Region status, and Fujiwara defended the arrangement by pointing out that Hashirama and Madara could not be restrained by denying them autonomy.

• Uchiha Setsuna beat Shūichi for directing killing intent at Izuna, then ordered him to become his Kyudo student.
• Setsuna made Shūichi introduce himself as a member of the Theatre Troupe and began teaching him how to observe people unnoticed.
• The envoys from the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, and Land of Water arrived in the Land of Fire, joining the Land of Earth's Ishimi.
• Fujiwara met the four envoys and heard their concerns about the Land of Fire granting Konoha special autonomy.
• Ishimi, the Land of Lightning's commander, and the Land of Wind's envoy questioned whether Konoha's power and autonomy threatened the Land of Fire.
• Fujiwara argued that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha could seize power regardless of the autonomy granted, prompting the Land of Wind's envoy to ask whether the Land of Fire had surrendered its own autonomy.

At a diplomatic meeting, Fujiwara rejected the other countries’ challenge over whether Konoha’s Ninja would fight, arguing that the Land of Fire had no reason to wage war unless attacked. After trade negotiations began, Ōnoki met young Ninja from the other villages in the capital, where they discussed their countries’ treatment of Ninja.

• Ishimi questioned whether Konoha’s Ninja would fight for the Land of Fire, and Fujiwara argued that the Land of Fire did not need war and would not start one.
• Ishimi and the other envoys left the meeting, then softened their approach over the following days and began negotiating trade with Fujiwara.
• The envoys required Ninja to stay out of the meeting room, and Ninja from all four countries complied.
• Ōnoki explored the Land of Fire’s capital and met A of Kumogakure at an ironware shop.
• Ōnoki and A joined a quiet Ninja from Sunagakure and a silent Ninja from Kirigakure for tea.
• A asked what the Land of Fire intended by granting Ninja autonomy, and Ōnoki said such matters were not for them to decide.

Ōnoki refused to reveal information about the Land of Earth during a tense meeting with Yotsuki Ai, Mizuno Kazuhiko, and Satada Jirō, then wandered east through the city. He overheard townspeople describing Konoha’s rapid construction and lively streets, and questioned their claim that Ninja were ordinary people.

• Yotsuki Ai tried to draw information from Ōnoki, while Mizuno Kazuhiko and Satada Jirō also probed him about the other villages.
• Ai challenged Mizuno and Satada to reveal their names, and they identified themselves before leaving the teahouse.
• Ōnoki told Ai he would remember him, then left and decided to explore the east side of the city rather than return to the guesthouse.
• Ōnoki passed through the quiet pleasure district and wandered among shops on the city’s eastern streets.
• Ōnoki overheard two men say Konoha was being built quickly and had become lively, with Ninja greeting one another as ordinary villagers.

Ōnoki found a finely crafted crow Netsuke in the street and took it with him, intending to return it if its owner appeared. A Hong and Aotsugu recognized that the Netsuke had left Izumoya of its own accord and accepted that it had gone to where it belonged.

• Ōnoki felt insulted when he overheard two ordinary men laughing and calling people like him ordinary.
• Ōnoki found a black peach wood crow Netsuke with a red gemstone eye and a pentagram carved underneath, then put it away.
• A Hong searched around the teahouse for the missing high-grade Netsuke while Aotsugu followed her out.
• Aotsugu told A Hong that the Netsuke had probably found what it was looking for, and she recalled that it had mysteriously appeared in Izumoya's storeroom.
• A Hong and Aotsugu returned to Izumoya, hoping the Netsuke would find a good home.

Ōnoki explored the eastern part of the city, left a found netsuke with the innkeeper, and spent his free time returning to a ramen stall. Seven days later, Ishimi announced that the Land of Fire’s Daimyo and his family would travel with the delegation to Konoha, the destination Ōnoki had been waiting to reach.

• Ōnoki toured the eastern part of the city, admired a blacksmith’s sword, and ate deluxe ramen at a stall.
• Ōnoki brought a bird netsuke he had found to the innkeeper, who told him to keep it because of their fated connection.
• Ōnoki hid the netsuke in his luggage and served as a guard while Ishimi negotiated with Land of Fire officials.
• Ōnoki repeatedly visited the ramen stall and listened as its owner described his dream of making unforgettable ramen.
• Seven days later, Ishimi announced that the Land of Fire’s Daimyo and his family would accompany the delegation to Konoha.

Ōnoki ate one last bowl of ramen before leaving for Konoha and learned that the stall owner planned to follow the Daimyo’s procession there to open a shop. The owner’s acceptance of Ninja unsettled Ōnoki, who then agreed to listen to a Biwa Hōshi performance to learn why the journey had become common knowledge.

• Ōnoki told the ramen stall owner that he was leaving for Konoha the next morning and might never eat there again.
• The owner asked whether Ninja earned much money, then said he wanted to follow the Daimyo’s procession to Konoha and open a shop.
• Ōnoki warned the owner that Ninja were frightening, but the owner said they were people too and had no choice but to live by fighting and killing.
• Ōnoki remembered how Ninja were feared and shunned in his homeland, and he was struck by the owner’s words.
• The owner decided to open a shop in Konoha and told Ōnoki that a performance had spread the news; he urged him to listen to a Biwa Hōshi after finishing his ramen.

Ōnoki went to hear a Biwa Hōshi perform and was stunned when the musician sang about Ninja as tools who went to their deaths. The crowd mourned the Ninja in the song, leaving Ōnoki moved and conflicted by their sympathy.

• Ōnoki climbed onto a roof to watch a Biwa Hōshi perform the Eight-Boat Leap from The Tale of the Heike.
• The Biwa Hōshi unexpectedly sang about Higa Shintarō and the Higa clansmen sacrificing themselves as Ninja.
• Ōnoki expected the crowd to reject the song, but a woman wept and others sighed with sorrow and regret.
• Ōnoki realized the lyrics described the Ninja’s lives as he knew them and felt both pain and happiness that the crowd pitied them.

Wakako traveled with Daimyo Yuan Yusheng toward Konoha, excited to see Uchiha Izuna and Hinata Rei. On the road, she questioned Uchiha Takashi about the village and Rei while Yuan Yusheng reflected on how her newfound enthusiasm had changed her, and the procession continued toward its destination.

• The Fire Daimyo's procession departed the city with Yuan Yusheng and Wakako traveling in a palanquin, while Ōnoki watched from the rear among the guards.
• Wakako excitedly told Yuan Yusheng she wanted to see Shinrei and little Rei again, then asked Takashi how quickly a ninja could reach their destination; Yuan Yusheng refused to let her travel by ninja.
• Yuan Yusheng recalled how Wakako had become more outspoken after seeing Uchiha Izuna's production of The Tale of the Heike and had repeatedly sent Takashi on errands for Hinata Rei.
• Wakako asked Takashi about Konoha and Rei's home, but he did not know where she lived, prompting Yuan Yusheng to defend him.
• Yuan Yusheng told Wakako to stop asking questions and remove her heavy twelve-layer robe, and she obediently began taking it off as the journey continued.

As Konoha prepared for the Daimyo’s delayed visit, Izuna found one more improvement to work on and rushed off. Madara, disturbed by Tobirama’s unusual attentiveness toward Izuna, took Tobirama aside for a private conversation.

• Izuna complained about paperwork and ate Madara’s Three-Colored Dango while Tobirama warned him about cavities.
• Hashirama announced that the Daimyo’s party had set out after seven days of talks and would arrive in three or four days.
• Izuna realized there was another improvement to make, grabbed a document, and hurried off to handle it.
• Tobirama gathered the documents Izuna had left scattered across his desk, prompting Madara to ask him for a private conversation.
• Madara and Tobirama left together as Hashirama warned Tobirama to run if Madara threatened him.