Chapter Summaries

Xun Uzumaki learned that anti-war sentiment had emerged in Konoha and prepared to investigate, while the Uchiha Clan Head considered moving his clan to the Land of Whirlpools. The chapter ended with Madara Uchiha asking to meet the Uzumaki Clan Head, leaving Xun wary of his intentions.

• Xun Uzumaki told Zetsu to keep watching Konoha and urged him to help if Konoha surrendered.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru discussed their desperate position in the Land of Rain and agreed to send Nawaki and the other young shinobi back to Konoha.
• Xun Uzumaki met with the Uchiha Clan Head and promised the clan equal rights and protection under the Land of Whirlpools' laws.
• Xun Uzumaki cited the Senju Clan's life in the Land of Whirlpools as reassurance to the Uchiha Clan Head.
• Madara Uchiha asked to meet the Uzumaki Clan Head, and Xun Uzumaki questioned why he wanted the meeting.

Xun Uzumaki brought the Uzumaki Clan Head to meet the Uchiha Clan Head, who sought protection for his clan by offering the Uchiha’s Kekkei Genkai and Fire Release techniques. After they reached an agreement, Xun accompanied the Uchiha Clan Head as he killed Uchiha clansmen, calling it his last service to Konoha.

• Xun Uzumaki introduced the Uchiha Clan Head to the Uzumaki Clan Head, who rejected clan-based alliances in favor of the Land of Whirlpools’ laws.
• Xun Uzumaki stepped outside, met Fugaku Uchiha at the training grounds, and discussed his identity with him.
• The Uchiha Clan Head asked the Uzumaki Clan Head for a guarantee that the Uchiha would be safe and offered the clan’s Kekkei Genkai and Fire Release secret techniques.
• At night, Xun Uzumaki questioned the Uchiha Clan Head’s decision to kill Uchiha clansmen, and the Uchiha Clan Head said he was doing it as his last act for Konoha.

Xun Uzumaki helped the Uchiha Clan Head remove the Uchiha from Konoha and promised the clan would grow strong in the Land of Whirlpools. As Konoha’s Root and Anbu mobilized, Fugaku took charge of the relocated clan, while the Uchiha Clan Head waited for his own arrest.

• Xun Uzumaki killed the Great Elder and accepted the Sharingan the Uchiha Clan Head gathered from the elders.
• The Uchiha Clan Head asked Xun Uzumaki to protect the Uchiha from extermination, and Xun promised the clan would grow strong before being told to leave.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Danzo that everything depended on him, and Danzo agreed to act as Konoha's darkness.
• Zetsu told Xun Uzumaki that Root and Anbu had begun mobilizing, prompting Xun to tell Zetsu to prepare.
• The Uzumaki Clan Head helped Fugaku Uchiha register the clan in the Land of Whirlpools, and Fugaku declared that they were no longer Konoha's Uchiha Clan.
• Masked shinobi surrounded the Uchiha Clan Head in the clan hall, and he calmly acknowledged their arrival.

Danzo arrived at the Uchiha encampment and found the Uchiha Clan Head kneeling among the clan’s dead, while Zetsu set out to steal Hashirama’s cells for Xun Uzumaki. Xun returned to the Land of Whirlpools, where Fugaku Uchiha’s eyes evolved and Xun told him he had awakened the Mangekyo.

• Danzo found the Uchiha Clan Head kneeling beside the Uchiha corpses and claimed he had come to arrest the clan by Hiruzen’s order.
• Zetsu reluctantly accepted Xun Uzumaki’s task to steal Hashirama’s cells and worried that Danzo would catch him if he impersonated him again.
• Xun Uzumaki returned to the Land of Whirlpools and gave the Uzumaki Clan Head the three pairs of Sharingan from the Uchiha Clan Head.
• Xun spoke with Mikoto Uchiha and offered to help her if she ran into trouble.
• Fugaku Uchiha suffered sudden eye pain, and Xun told him that he had awakened the Mangekyo.

Hiruzen learned that some Uchiha had disappeared after Danzo moved to arrest the clan, while Xun Uzumaki arranged for the refugees and urged Zetsu to help provoke further conflict with Konoha. Fugaku Uchiha began work at the Land of Whirlpools’ Public Security Bureau, where he recognized the bureau chief’s eyes as the Ketsuryūgan.

• An Anbu reported that some Uchiha had disappeared after Danzo ordered the clan taken into custody, and Hiruzen demanded that Danzo come see him.
• Xun worried that Konoha would discover the Uchiha refugees and discussed preparing for war while waiting for Zetsu to bring Hashirama’s tissue.
• Zetsu returned with the tissue, and Xun asked him to help keep the Shinobi World war going by suggesting Konoha might still have someone who could awaken Wood Release.
• Fugaku arrived to start work at the Public Security Bureau and was taken to meet its chief.
• The bureau chief turned to face Fugaku, whose Mangekyo activated when he recognized the man’s Ketsuryūgan.

Fugaku Uchiha joined the Land of Whirlpools and learned that the identity of the masked Mangekyo user who devastated the Uchiha remained unknown. Meanwhile, Danzo discovered that a dead Uchiha clan head had a Mangekyo in one eye and resolved to take it for himself.

• Miyakado told Fugaku Uchiha that the masked Mangekyo user had come from Konoha and apparently possessed only one Mangekyo.
• Fugaku Uchiha vowed to find Shin Uchiha, then set aside his anger and agreed to learn the Land of Whirlpools' police procedures.
• Fugaku Uchiha said the Uchiha Clan had brought money and did not need a loan, prompting Miyakado to howl in dismay.
• Danzo brought the dead Uchiha clansmen to Root and found a Mangekyo in the Uchiha Clan Head's eye.
• Danzo decided to take the Mangekyo and use it to protect Konoha.

In the Land of Whirlpools, Fugaku Uchiha met Oyakuro Zongxiu, who explained that the Chinoike Clan had chosen to end its old grievances and let its children live without hatred. In Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo agreed to blame the Uchiha Clan for a coup, seize its land, and portray its head as a hero who killed the clan to prevent civil strife.

• Oyakuro Zongxiu reassured Fugaku Uchiha that the Chinoike Clan did not want to live in hatred, provided the Uchiha Clan became citizens of the Land of Whirlpools.
• Zongxiu introduced Fugaku to his daughter Yuko, who offered him candy, and said the Chinoike Clan had kept the past from its next generation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo discussed the missing Uchiha women and children and the stolen Sharingan, while Danzo concealed what he knew about the remaining Mangekyo.
• Danzo proposed confiscating the Uchiha Clan's land and claiming the clan had died while plotting a coup.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to the plan but decided the Uchiha Clan Head would be named a Konoha Hero who killed his clan to prevent civil strife, with the land redistributed in the Hokage's name.

Xun Uzumaki read about Konoha’s account of the Uchiha massacre and began preparing for the upcoming Five Kage Summit while worrying about the Land of Whirlpools’ shortage of ninja. As Fugaku settled into life in the Land of Whirlpools and Madara trained Zicheng, Madara considered finding work as a Taijutsu instructor.

• Xun Uzumaki read news describing the Uchiha Clan Head as a hero and announcing a Five Kage Summit, then worried about staffing and the Land of Whirlpools’ bladed-tool business.
• Fugaku Uchiha reflected on the Uchiha survivors’ new life, their children’s behavior at school, and the welcoming treatment he received from local civilians.
• Madara pushed Zicheng to increase his Chakra output until Zicheng broke a tree with a punch, then told him he was still weak.
• Zicheng suggested that Madara become an academy Taijutsu instructor, and Madara began considering finding a job.

At the Five Kage Summit, Orochimaru urged the other villages to stop pressuring Konoha and focus on the Land of Rain, warning that it could rise as a sixth great country and village. Hanzo of the Salamander abandoned his plans to act, while Miyakado went to try new ramen in the Land of Whirlpools.

• The Raikage challenged Orochimaru’s authority to represent Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Orochimaru said he was acting in the Hokage’s stead with Jiraiya present.
• The Kazekage and Tsuchikage demanded compensation and the return of the legendary bladed tools, but Orochimaru denied Konoha’s responsibility and said it had already acted against the Uchiha Clan.
• Orochimaru pointed to the Land of Rain on a map and warned that Hanzo of the Salamander was gathering civilians to end the civil war and potentially establish a sixth great ninja village.
• Hanzo of the Salamander decided not to risk facing the Four Great Ninja Villages and ordered Amegakure to pull back its defensive lines and prepare to retreat.
• Miyakado headed to the expanded Land of Whirlpools Ramen shop to try its new dishes, while noting that Oyashiro En was nearing graduation and Fugaku Uchiha was seeing a therapist.

The Three Great Ninja Villages declared war on Amegakure, leaving Hanzo seeking outside support as the Land of Whirlpools continued developing. Mikoto Uchiha met the elderly Madara on his way to interview for a teaching position at the Land of Whirlpools Affiliated Academy.

• The Three Great Ninja Villages formally declared war on Amegakure, and Hanzo declared war on them in return.
• Hanzo learned Amegakure was struggling against Sunagakure and welcomed an Akatsuki Organization envoy, hoping to secure reinforcements.
• Xun Uzumaki learned that the white-haired old man he had ordered watched had gone to interview at the academy.
• Mikoto Uchiha offered to guide the elderly man to the academy and learned he was going there to become a teacher.

Madara Uchiha applied to teach Taijutsu at the Land of Whirlpools academy, while Kakuzu negotiated with Hanzo of the Salamander over hiring the Akatsuki Organization. Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared for Konoha to attack Amegakure and wondered whether Nawaki had awakened Wood Release.

• A whirlpool ninja mistook Madara Uchiha for Mikoto Uchiha's elderly grandfather and doubted he could teach Taijutsu.
• Zicheng revealed that Madara was his Taijutsu teacher, and Madara presented his identification while the whirlpool ninja went to consult the vice principal.
• Hanzo of the Salamander asked Kakuzu to hire the Akatsuki Organization to fight for Amegakure, but Kakuzu demanded payment and stormed out when Hanzo asked about credit.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reflected that Konoha's threats had withdrawn and that sacrificing Amegakure could bring peace, then wondered whether Nawaki had awakened Wood Release.

Xun Uzumaki weighed a possible steel-supply partnership with the Land of Rain against the Akatsuki Organization’s principles and decided to involve Zetsu as a third party. In Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the military police force to joint control by all clans, while Mikoto Uchiha asked Madara Uchiha to attend the Land of Whirlpools’ first graduation ceremony.

• Xun Uzumaki worried that Amegakure might default on payment and that the Akatsuki Organization could not openly become a mercenary group, so he summoned Zetsu to arrange a third-party solution.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu discussed the vacant Konoha Military Police Force, and Hiruzen rejected having the Sarutobi Clan take it over alone.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided that all Konoha clans should jointly control the military police force to prevent one clan from monopolizing it.
• In December of Konoha Year 32, Konohagakure adopted the joint-control policy, which was praised by the village’s clans.
• Mikoto Uchiha asked Madara Uchiha whether he would attend the Land of Whirlpools’ first graduation ceremony.

The Land of Whirlpools held its first graduation ceremony, while Tobi and his young students struggled to see from their assigned seats and Madara Uchiha prepared to attend. Xun Uzumaki worried about the Uchiha’s extreme beliefs and Fugaku Uchiha’s worsening gloom as the ceremony reached the diploma presentation.

• Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko complained that Tobi’s assigned seats left them unable to see, then agreed to sneak away when Konan pressured them.
• Madara Uchiha questioned Mikoto Uchiha about her training, called her generation of Uchiha weak, and set off with her to see how Zicheng was doing.
• The Uzumaki Clan Head welcomed the attendees and spoke about the Land of Whirlpools’ history, present, and future before the graduation ceremony began.
• Xun Uzumaki reflected on the academy’s broad curriculum and worried that Uchiha students held extreme views and that Fugaku Uchiha appeared depressed.
• Xun Uzumaki prepared to present diplomas and awards to the outstanding graduates.

At the Land of Whirlpools graduation ceremony, Xun Uzumaki presented certificates to Oyashiro En and Yoru Kamitsuru before announcing Zicheng. Meanwhile, Zetsu offered Hanzo of the Salamander help for Amegakure in exchange for the Land of Rain’s iron mines.

• Xun Uzumaki read out Oyashiro En’s name as an outstanding graduate, prompting Miyakado and Aoba Kamitsuru to trade barbs about their children and Miyakado’s debts.
• Oyashiro En accepted his graduation certificate and pledged to serve the people, and Yoru Kamitsuru accepted hers and promised to become useful to society.
• Xun Uzumaki announced that Zicheng was the final name on the graduation list.
• Hanzo of the Salamander lamented that arms dealers would not extend him credit and wondered whether the Land of Rain could find an ally.
• Zetsu appeared before Hanzo and offered help for Amegakure, saying his organization would not fight directly and demanding the Land of Rain’s iron mines as payment.

Xun Uzumaki discussed peace and the shinobi system with Madara Uchiha, who questioned whether reform could end war while Chakra remained. As Madara settled into his role as a professor, Xun worried this would disrupt Zetsu’s plan and left to consider how to help Zetsu feel a mother’s love again.

• Xun Uzumaki visited Madara Uchiha and learned that Mikoto Uchiha had become Madara’s assistant.
• Madara Uchiha asked about Fugaku Uchiha awakening the Mangekyo, and Xun argued that power itself was neither good nor evil.
• Xun Uzumaki explained his plans to reform the Shinobi World through the Land of Whirlpools’ academy system, but Madara said shinobi and Chakra remained sources of war.
• Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato met Mikoto Uchiha outside the teachers’ dormitory and told her they would be next year’s students.
• Xun Uzumaki left Madara Uchiha to sunbathe and worried that Madara’s new life as a professor could ruin Zetsu’s long-awaited plan.

In the Land of Whirlpools, Juzo Biwa and the captured Mist Ninjas received a punishing copying assignment at reform camp. Meanwhile, Danzo calmed angry Konoha villagers, and Jōyō Minazuki struggled to recover Kirigakure’s captured swords and ninjas without paying the Land of Whirlpools’ demands.

• The Whirlpool Ninja teacher ordered Juzo Biwa and the Mist Ninjas to copy ideological texts and the Ninja Code of Conduct, then doubled the assignment after Juzo broke his pen.
• Danzo reassured Konoha’s villagers that their missing children were protecting the village and promised that Hokage-sama would answer their concerns.
• Danzo resolved to send Root to do practical work for villagers and improve his standing with them.
• Jōyō Minazuki learned that Kirigakure still could not summon Kubikiribōchō and Samehada because the Uzumaki Clan had sealed them.
• Jōyō Minazuki told his assistant to keep condemning the Land of Whirlpools and demanding the return of Kirigakure’s ninjas and swords, while postponing payment.

Juzo Biwa and the captured Mist ninja endured exhausting lessons and copying assignments in the Land of Whirlpools, while Juzo considered defecting and suspected the country was quietly growing stronger. In the Land of Rain, Stone forces prepared to join Konoha against Amegakure, and Jiraiya invited Minato and Nawaki to the battlefield while asking Minato about his hand-signless ninjutsu.

• The captured Mist ninja complained about copying assignments, but resumed when they learned unfinished work would multiply, and Juzo Biwa left for the restroom.
• Juzo Biwa reflected on his captives’ comfortable living conditions, worried about their failed mission and lost swords, and considered defecting to the Land of Whirlpools.
• A Stone Ninja commander ordered his forces to join Konoha in encircling Amegakure, while a captain privately suspected Konoha was hiding the Senju heir’s Wood Release.
• Minato asked Jiraiya whether he had given him the wrong book, and Jiraiya reclaimed it and handed him a book about ninjutsu and Chakra training.
• Jiraiya invited Minato and Nawaki to visit the battlefield and asked Minato to teach him his hand-signless ninjutsu, but Minato said its red-haired creator’s permission was needed.

On the Land of Rain battlefield, Orochimaru urged Nawaki and Minato to face danger, while Jiraiya tried to protect them. Nawaki was later reported killed, prompting Konoha to declare war on Iwagakure, and Xun Uzumaki reflected on the turmoil he had helped set in motion as he waited for Kakuzu to return.

• Jiraiya warned Nawaki and Minato that they could trust only their partners on the battlefield, while Nawaki asked why he had not seen his Senju relatives.
• Jiraiya said Tsunade would arrive in a few days, and Nawaki hinted that she already had a boyfriend before Orochimaru challenged him and Minato to face Rain ninja.
• In January of Konoha Year 33, news spread that Nawaki had died on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, and Konoha blamed Iwagakure for secretly attacking an ally.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared war on Iwagakure and discussed whether to tell Mito Uzumaki about Nawaki’s death with Utatane Koharu.
• Xun Uzumaki read the report, considered how his actions had contributed to Nawaki’s death and the coming chaos, and wondered why Kakuzu had not returned from the Land of Rain.

Tsunade grieved the deaths of Nawaki and the Senju Clan while Jiraiya and Orochimaru struggled with their guilt. Meanwhile, Ōnoki arranged to buy weapons from the Akatsuki Organization as Iwagakure prepared for war with Konoha; the chapter ended with an author’s note about eye strain and negative reviews.

• Tsunade blamed Jiraiya for Nawaki’s death, and Dan comforted her as Jiraiya let her vent.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that Orochimaru had been staying inside, grieving Nawaki, and Orochimaru then accepted responsibility for what had happened.
• Minato recognized Jiraiya’s sorrow beneath his cheerful act and mistakenly believed Jiraiya had beaten himself up.
• Ōnoki asked Kakuzu to supply Iwagakure with bladed tools, and Kakuzu promised delivery within seven days while refusing to join the war.
• Ōnoki prepared Iwagakure to fight Konoha after Konoha declared war over the killing of a Senju Clan member.

Sunagakure declared war on Konoha, while the other villages weighed their next moves amid the conflict. In the Land of Whirlpools, Xun Uzumaki investigated Hashirama’s cells before the Great Elder revealed a new invention.

• Chiyo objected to the Third Kazekage’s decision to attack Konoha, but he dismissed her concerns and ordered Qian Luo sent to the Konoha front.
• Ebizo urged Chiyo to focus on Sasori, who had begun assembling simple puppets while learning Puppet Technique.
• Hanzo of the Salamander ordered Amegakure’s rain ninja to remain on alert and vowed to secure the Land of Rain’s future.
• A Cloud Ninja commander received the Raikage’s order to stay in place and cooperate with Konoha.
• Xun Uzumaki learned that test animals could not survive Hashirama’s cells and discussed examining public servants’ blood with the Great Elder.
• The Great Elder told Xun Uzumaki that the cells contained a living substance unlike ordinary Chakra or Wood Release Chakra, then said he had called him to show him a new invention.