Chapter Summaries

On New Year’s Day, Uchiha Asuka helped the orphan Guy by bringing him food and arranging for his house to be rebuilt, then attended the Uchiha Clan’s final meeting of the year. The meeting began another round of discussion about the clan’s gains, losses, and future, with no real progress toward its goal of producing a Hokage.

• Asuka brought Guy a mountain of seafood, broke his door by accident, and insisted on tearing down his shabby house so it could be rebuilt.
• Asuka persuaded Guy to stay at the Hot Spring Inn for a night and used Shadow Clone Technique to start demolishing the house while arranging craftsmen through the Police Force.
• Asuka told Guy that the Uchiha Clan had fired him from the Police Force after older members brought in capital and pushed him out.
• Asuka arrived at Naka Shrine and found Ryoichi and the other elders molding snow kunai in the freezing wind after the Great Elder had provoked them.
• Uchiha Fugaku arrived with Itachi, and the elders’ bare feet filled the meeting hall with a sour stench.
• The Great Elder opened the meeting by calling for a review of the year and a look toward the future, while Asuka expected the clan to keep repeating its failed pursuit of the Hokage position.

At the Uchiha Clan’s 607th meeting, clansmen proposed increasingly extreme ways to help Fugaku become Hokage, while Uchiha Itachi struggled to find anyone he considered normal. The meeting ended with Fugaku postponing a proposal to expel himself from the clan until the First Hokage was closer to stepping down.

• The Great Elder opened the meeting by reviewing the clan’s supposed achievements and announcing that its topic was how the Uchiha could produce a Hokage.
• A blind elder proposed marrying a Uchiha woman to the First Hokage, and the Great Elder deferred the idea because of recent changes in the Police Force.
• A young clansman urged Fugaku to challenge Jiraiya, Tsunade, or the Third Hokage, but Fugaku declined to create trouble for the village.
• Another clansman proposed disbanding the Uchiha Clan so Fugaku could pursue the Hokage position without the clan holding him back, and the Great Elder gave him a sealing scroll to study.
• An elder suggested expelling Fugaku from the clan temporarily, and Fugaku agreed that they could revisit the proposal in five years.

At the Uchiha clan meeting, Ryoichi recalled his long history of proposing radical plans and being stalled by Clan Heads, while the Great Elder aimed to delay the debate over producing a Hokage. Asuka abandoned his proposal that Fugaku divorce Mikoto and instead introduced a secretary to handle Fugaku’s workload, leaving Fugaku alarmed by the unexpected appointment.

• Ryoichi told Asuka that Clan Heads kept rejecting proposals by promising to revisit them later, then described his old plan to tear up the Alliance Treaty and seize a small nation.
• Ryoichi proposed reviving Madara and having the Uchiha break with the Senju, seize a nation, and proclaim themselves Hokage.
• The Great Elder announced that the clan would spend the coming year discussing how to produce a Hokage, intending to drag the matter out.
• Asuka said his earlier proposal had been too radical and handed the Great Elder a scroll with information about Utatane Koharu’s niece.
• Asuka presented the niece as a secretary for Fugaku who could handle his affairs and give him more time to consider how the clan could produce a Hokage.
• Fugaku realized Asuka was not raising the divorce proposal but was assigning him a secretary, and urgently signaled the Great Elder to stop him.

At the Uchiha clan meeting, Asuka proposed hiring Utatane Koharu's niece as Uchiha Fugaku's secretary, praising her flaws as signs of an exceptionally dedicated worker. After the proposal stirred up the clan's anxieties about never producing a Hokage, the Great Elder agreed to consider it and resolved to delay future meetings until he found a countermeasure.

• Asuka proposed that Utatane Koharu's niece become Fugaku's secretary, arguing that her experience and work habits suited the role.
• The Great Elder crossed out the niece's listed flaws as Asuka reframed them as reasons she would work tirelessly and cheaply.
• Ryoichi called the niece a free slave, and Asuka claimed the Six Paths Sage had delivered a poem declaring that a secretary was the Uchiha's way forward.
• A young clansman lamented that the Uchiha had never produced a Hokage while the Senju had produced two, depressing the meeting and weighing on Fugaku.
• The Great Elder said he would consider Asuka's proposal and decided to postpone clan meetings until he devised a countermeasure.

Asuka’s proposal to hire Utatane Koharu’s niece as Fugaku’s secretary pushed Uchiha Saburo out of retirement to handle Police Force work himself. After Asuka provoked Saburo with rumors about his old feelings for Koharu, Saburo ordered her to report the next day so he could crush the rumors personally.

• The Uchiha clansmen suspected Asuka was already putting his marriage-alliance proposal into practice by bringing up Utatane Koharu’s niece as a secretary candidate.
• Uchiha Saburo offered to take over Police Force duties and serve as Fugaku’s secretary, while Ryoichi applauded his decisiveness.
• Asuka questioned whether Saburo was too old for the work and argued that Koharu’s niece would be more capable, but Saburo defended his experience and ability to adapt.
• Asuka raised rumors that Saburo had once been smitten with Koharu, prompting the clansmen to speculate about his motives for opposing her niece.
• Uchiha Saburo ordered Koharu’s niece to report to the Police Force the next day so he could personally disprove the rumors.

After the Uchiha Clan assigned Fugaku a secretary at Asuka’s suggestion, Mikoto learned what happened and set out to beat Asuka to death. Itachi stayed home to care for Sasuke, wondering what kind of people belonged to the clan.

• After the clan meeting, Ryoichi teased Saburo about Utatane Koharu, and Saburo charged at him in anger.
• Fugaku told Itachi he was going to the Police Force and might stay there overnight to avoid Mikoto’s reaction to the meeting’s decision.
• Mikoto returned home, and Itachi told her the clan had assigned Fugaku a secretary, Koharu’s niece, with Asuka proposing the arrangement.
• Mikoto dressed in her battle suit, told Itachi to care for Sasuke, and left to beat Asuka to death.
• Itachi stayed on the porch with Sasuke and wondered what kind of people were in the clan.

After Uchiha Mikoto stormed into Asuka’s home over the clan’s plan to give Fugaku a secretary, Asuka tried to convince her that divorce would lead to a better partner. His bizarre story about Fei Fei’s supposedly divorced friend only enraged Mikoto further, and she attacked him, leaving the house badly damaged.

• Fei Fei warned Asuka to hide after hearing Mikoto might blame him for the secretary proposal, while Asuka explained that clansmen had suggested hiring Fugaku a secretary.
• Mikoto burst through Asuka’s front door and confronted him, accusing him of wanting her and Fugaku to divorce.
• Asuka argued that Mikoto could find someone better after a divorce and invented a story about Fei Fei’s friend being revived by a Sage.
• Mikoto rejected Asuka’s story and attacked him with flaming shuriken and a Great Fireball Technique.
• Asuka demanded that Mikoto pay for the damage to his newly furnished home.

Uchiha Mikoto confronted Asuka at his home, but he overwhelmed her and severed her arm with his Mangekyō ability. Tsunade intervened, helped restore Mikoto’s arm, and whispered a plan that left Mikoto ready to attack Asuka again.

• Asuka and Mikoto fought in the street, and Asuka quickly knocked her into a wall.
• Asuka used Okuninushi to sever Mikoto’s right arm and refused to return it while she intended to keep fighting.
• Asuka mocked Mikoto over her son and defended his clan plans as the watching Uchiha clansmen discussed the rumors.
• Tsunade arrived, stopped Mikoto from attacking, and told Asuka to reattach her arm so she could mediate.
• Asuka restored Mikoto’s arm, but Tsunade restrained Mikoto again when she tried to strike him and whispered a plan to her.

At Spiral Zetsu’s shop, Tsunade mediated a dispute between Uchiha Mikoto and Asuka over his proposal to find Fugaku a secretary. Asuka claimed the idea was meant to help Fugaku and push Mikoto to support him at home, but Tsunade challenged his motives and demanded to know who taught him to use such a drastic approach.

• Spiral Zetsu drew poop-themed meatballs while Tsunade drank Bird Country liquor at his shop.
• Tsunade asked Mikoto and Asuka why they had fought, and Mikoto accused Asuka of undermining her family by finding Fugaku a secretary.
• Mikoto explained that Asuka had raised the secretary proposal at the clan meeting, while Asuka insisted he had done nothing wrong.
• Asuka argued that Mikoto needed to support Fugaku at home and that the secretary would give her a sense of crisis.
• Asuka said the Uchiha wanted Fugaku to become Hokage and had chosen to provoke Mikoto to make her change.
• Tsunade angrily asked Asuka who taught him to fight poison with poison.

Uchiha Mikoto confronted Asuka over his meddling in her marriage, while Uchiha Fugaku learned they were fighting and met Koharu Utatane’s niece at his office. Tsunade and Mikoto tricked Asuka into lowering his guard, and Mikoto punched him through a wall.

• Uchiha Fugaku heard that Mikoto had left home in her Battle Suit and sent someone to check on Asuka, then learned she had set Asuka’s house on fire and was fighting him.
• Koharu Utatane’s niece arrived at Fugaku’s office and asked for Captain Fugaku.
• Tsunade threatened Asuka over Mikoto’s marriage, and Asuka claimed he had only spoken of divorce to provoke Fugaku into finding a way for the Uchiha to produce a Hokage.
• Mikoto apologized to Asuka, then seized his arm and accused him of meddling before striking him with a Chakra-wrapped punch.
• Tsunade told Mikoto that she had deliberately made Asuka lower his guard before attacking him.

At a Konoha jonin meeting, the Uchiha and Hyuga traded old grievances and fought until Hashirama Senju arrived. Hashirama announced that the clans would review the past year and look ahead to the future, leaving the Uchiha wondering what they could possibly say again.

• Uchiha and Hyuga jonin mocked each other over clan meetings, the Byakugan, and years of old grudges.
• Hyuga Meng Meng asked Uchiha Asuka why the clans were feuding, and Asuka explained that their leaders' recent fight had reignited tensions.
• The Uchiha and Hyuga clashed with fire and chakra techniques, leaving both groups battered and the meeting room scorched.
• Hashirama Senju arrived, recognized that the clans had fought, and resolved to mediate their conflict.
• Hashirama announced that the final jonin meeting of the year would review the clans' and village's gains and losses and look ahead to the new year.
• Asuka sighed as the Uchiha struggled to think of what to say about their future after holding a similar clan meeting two days earlier.

At a jonin gathering, Uchiha Asuka proposed that Hashirama Senju take three-year-old Uchiha Naoki as a disciple, claiming the child wanted to become Hokage of the entire Ninja World to end bullying and protection money. Hashirama considered the idea while Danzo opposed it and the Uchiha and Hyuga argued.

• Uchiha clansmen praised Hashirama and said he should keep serving as Hokage for a thousand years, angering Tsunade and Danzo.
• Asuka told the gathering that the Uchiha wanted Hashirama to take one of their geniuses as a disciple, and Danzo asked whether he meant Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Shisui.
• Asuka rejected Itachi and Shisui and recommended Uchiha Naoki, describing the three-year-old as kind and gifted with a Hokage's mindset.
• Asuka explained that Naoki wanted to become Hokage of the Ninja World so nobody would extort protection money from him, leaving the attendees shocked and Hashirama thoughtful.
• Danzo opposed the proposal but offered to teach Naoki to collect protection money, while a Hyuga clansman claimed the Hyuga also had a Hokage's mindset and an Uchiha challenged him.
• As the Uchiha and Hyuga exchanged barbs, Hashirama read Tobirama's advice on handling disputes as Hokage.

At a Jonin Meeting, Uchiha Asuka’s remarks led the attendees to consider him as a future Hokage while Hashirama Senju said he might remain in office for at least five more years. When the meeting turned to preserving peace, the Uchiha offered increasingly strange proposals, ending with Asuka urging Konoha to arm itself.

• Hashirama Senju declined to take disciples because of his condition, prompting Uchiha Asuka to suggest he could become Hokage if Hashirama left.
• Danzo argued that Hashirama should remain Hokage for at least five more years while Konoha’s new generation matured.
• Hashirama redirected the meeting to preventing another war, and the Uchiha noticed that recent Jonin Meetings resembled clan meetings.
• An Uchiha jonin proposed maintaining peace through communication, leaving the assembled jonin speechless with his naïveté.
• A second Uchiha jonin suggested reconciliation with the other ninja villages and checking the truth of competing intelligence reports.
• Asuka criticized the Uchiha’s conservative ideas and proposed using weapons acquired by Cat Granny to strengthen Konoha, prompting Danzo to lament his lost path to the Hokage position.

After a Jonin Meeting, the Uchiha left the Hokage Building pleased with their carefully softened remarks and their recommendation that Naoki become Hashirama’s disciple. Nearby, Sunagakure spy Da Lang tried to coax meeting details from Tobi with lavish praise for his unusual meatballs, but Tobi recognized his blatant intelligence-gathering.

• The departing jonin remarked that the Uchiha had proposed unusually peaceful and conservative ideas at the meeting.
• Uchiha Asuka explained that the clan had toned down the village-aligned Uchiha’s remarks to improve the clan’s image, and said they wanted others to carry the label of radicalism.
• An Uchiha asked why Asuka had recommended Naoki as Hashirama’s disciple, and Asuka said Naoki’s close relationship with Hashirama might help secure votes.
• Da Lang, a Sunagakure spy short on money, visited Tobi’s shop and praised Tobi’s oddly shaped meatballs to earn a free meal.
• While eating, Da Lang claimed he was only curious about Konoha’s policies and asked what the jonin had discussed, leaving Spiral Zetsu exasperated by his transparent attempt to gather intelligence.

Spiral Zetsu befriended Sunagakure spy Da Lang over meatballs and casually shared Konoha gossip, including Asuka's Hokage-disciple recommendation. Uchiha Itachi overheard that Uchiha Naoki was the nominee, and his shock left the conversation hanging.

• Da Lang praised Spiral Zetsu's meatballs, and Spiral Zetsu treated him as a kindred spirit and invited him to ask about Konoha.
• Spiral Zetsu told Da Lang that the Jonin Meeting had been heated and that the clans had discussed maintaining peace.
• Uchiha Itachi came into the shop, quietly ate meatballs, and overheard Da Lang and Spiral Zetsu praise Asuka for helping people.
• Da Lang asked whom Asuka planned to recommend as the Hokage's disciple, and Spiral Zetsu named Uchiha Naoki.
• Itachi sprayed anko soup in surprise when he heard Naoki's name, then tried to resume eating.

Uchiha Itachi learned that villagers still blamed him for reading the controversial books and worried that the scandal had damaged Shisui’s reputation. He told Shisui he suspected the books were connected to Uchiha Asuka, and Shisui began to take the possibility seriously.

• Spiral Zetsu and Da Lang discussed Uchiha Naoki and hinted that a book scandal had harmed the reputations of two Uchiha geniuses, prompting Itachi to drop his bowl and leave.
• Itachi heard villagers discuss his supposed maturity and reflected that people had believed what they wanted about the books, despite his explanation that they contained the Senju Clan's Will of Fire.
• Itachi worried that the scandal had affected Shisui, then tried to avoid him when they met in the village.
• Shisui caught up with Itachi, heard about the Jonin Meeting and the magazine investigation, and apologized for failing to identify who had distributed the magazines.
• Itachi told Shisui that he suspected the books were connected to Uchiha Asuka because a child who had lived at Asuka Jonin's house had been seen with the magazines.

Uchiha Itachi and Shisui investigated claims about the Senju Clan and suspected Asuka Jonin’s connection to the magazine Ninja World's Best. Meanwhile, Black Zetsu continued funding a failing Meatball Shop and recalled how his earlier money-making scheme had caused chaos across the Ninja World.

• Uchiha Itachi showed Shisui a book of conspiracy theories, and Shisui argued that its claims about the Senju Clan did not withstand scrutiny.
• Itachi told Shisui that a book repeating the Senju Clan’s supposed example had been written by a woman close to Asuka Jonin, and Shisui suspected Asuka might be connected to Ninja World's Best.
• Shisui and Itachi speculated that the magazine aimed to ruin reputations, including Itachi’s, rather than simply make money.
• Black Zetsu received another plea for funds from the failing Meatball Shop and decided to keep supporting its owner because of his connection to Uchiha Asuka.
• Black Zetsu told White Zetsu that his past scheme of taking out loan shark loans and refusing to repay them had caused the entire Ninja World to explode.

Uchiha Asuka learned that the Night of the Clan Massacre had entered its countdown, despite believing the Uchiha were on track to prosper. He worried over the system’s warning about Uchiha Itachi’s growing despair and the unexplained role of Uchiha Mikoto’s absence.

• Uchiha Itachi imagined seeing Uchiha Asuka on the moon, then left his home at ten o’clock and headed for Uchiha Asuka's Residence.
• Asuka discussed his worries with Fei Fei, who fretted over its weight and asked what problem had stopped troubling him.
• Asuka told Fei Fei that the Uchiha Clan might be destroyed because of internal problems and Danzo, though he believed the clan could soon gain power in Konoha.
• Asuka read a system warning that Uchiha Itachi had become deeply disappointed in the clan and wanted to perish with the world, triggering a countdown to the Night of the Clan Massacre.
• Asuka questioned how the massacre plot had arrived in the altered timeline and why Uchiha Mikoto going out had affected Itachi.

Asuka learned that the system identified the night as the Night of the Clan Massacre, despite giving contradictory information about Uchiha Itachi’s age, strength, and timeline. When four-year-old Itachi appeared alone outside Asuka’s home, Asuka eventually acknowledged his courage.

• Asuka and Fei Fei discussed how his past actions might have affected Itachi’s mental state.
• Itachi appeared on a telegraph pole outside Asuka’s home, and Asuka questioned the system about the date, Itachi’s age, and his strength.
• The system gave conflicting answers, first calling Itachi four years old and then claiming he was thirteen and Kage-level.
• Asuka opened the window and looked around, confirming that Itachi had come alone.
• Itachi called out to Asuka, who finally looked at him and praised his bravery.

Asuka mistook Itachi’s distress for pain over his parents’ supposed affair and tried to comfort him, while Itachi had come to confront him about the book. Their conversation left Itachi more confused and silent, still stranded on the utility pole.

• Asuka questioned Itachi about wanting to destroy the world, and Itachi denied it.
• Asuka misread the system’s explanation and assumed Mikoto’s absence meant she was having an affair, so he sympathized with Itachi.
• Asuka urged Itachi to accept what he could not control, leave the village when he grew up, and work to change the things he disliked.
• Itachi silently questioned Asuka’s advice and remembered that he had come to ask why Asuka gave him the book.
• Orange Cat asked whether Asuka had talked Itachi into something, and Asuka sighed that children suffered most when parents cheated.