Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Yoru used the Uchiha Elite Squad to gather children for Orochimaru, drawing the clan into his secret plans. After the mission, he distracted Mitaraishi Anko from the 200,000 he owed her by challenging her training and defeating her with Shadow Multiple Snake Hands.

• The Uchiha Elite Squad returned after gathering children with Chakra-bearing constitutions and handed them over to Shisui.
• Uchiha Yoru sent Shisui and Uchiha Itachi back to camp, while Itachi began to notice the clan's strange situation.
• Mitaraishi Anko confronted Uchiha Yoru about the 200,000 he had promised her, but he redirected her attention by claiming Orochimaru wanted to inspect her training.
• Anko proudly showed off her mastery of Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and Shadow Multiple Snake Hands.
• Uchiha Yoru ambushed Anko with Shadow Multiple Snake Hands and restrained her, prompting her to question why he had become more proficient than her.

Uchiha Yoruro taught Anko how her body affected chakra control and helped her choose a training direction. Anko settled on specializing in Ninjutsu with Taijutsu as support, while Yoruro planned an economical path centered on Nintaijutsu.

• Yoruro used his Sharingan to explain the hand seals and chakra pathways for Shadow Multiple Snake Hands to Anko.
• Yoruro asked Anko to consider her future training direction and explained how different ninja developed their strengths.
• Yoruro said he planned to pursue Nintaijutsu because his Sharingan and existing techniques let him save money on further Ninjutsu.
• Anko caught Yoruro touching her abdomen and angrily challenged him after he compared her with Red.
• Yoruro reminded Anko that Orochimaru had praised her chakra reserves and control, then advised her to focus on Ninjutsu with Taijutsu as support.
• Anko realized that the advice gave her a clear direction for her training.

Uchiha Yoru steered Anko toward Orochimaru’s ninjutsu and defended his teacher’s reputation by claiming Orochimaru was occupied with classified missions. After revealing his Mystical Palm Technique while examining Anko, he left her suspecting he was acting for the Uchiha Clan.

• Uchiha Yoru urged Anko to learn Orochimaru’s Snake Style Ninjutsu and the Dragon Fire Technique, but Anko demanded repayment of the two hundred thousand after realizing his suggestion might expose her chest.
• Uchiha Yoru told Anko that Orochimaru had been carrying out the village’s classified missions, seeking to build a more reasonable image of his teacher before his inevitable defection.
• Uchiha Yoru offered to examine Anko for hidden injuries and revealed that he had mastered the A-rank Mystical Palm Technique.
• Anko considered Yoru’s ties to the Uchiha Clan and Orochimaru, then asked whether he was acting for the clan; Yoru gave a slight nod.

Uchiha Yoruro helped Orochimaru dispose of unstable White Phosphorus Great Snake experiments and received venom serum as a reward. He warned Orochimaru that Root's leader was dissatisfied, then revealed that Yakushi Nonō had left Root and become an orphanage director.

• Uchiha Yoruro reported that Orochimaru's White Phosphorus Great Snake experiments had produced unstable results.
• Uchiha Yoruro summoned great snakes to break open the cultivation tanks, and they devoured the failed specimens.
• Orochimaru gave Uchiha Yoruro serum extracted from Ryūchi Cave's most venomous snakes, and Yoruro injected it.
• Orochimaru explained that village dissatisfaction was growing but that unrest at the borders still made him useful.
• Uchiha Yoruro told Orochimaru that the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder had reported Root's leader was dissatisfied with him.
• Uchiha Yoruro informed Orochimaru that Yakushi Nonō had left Root and was now the head of an orphanage.

Uchiha Yoru sold Orochimaru intelligence about Root while allowing him to believe the Uchiha elders had their own spy network. Danzo suspected Hiruzen of infiltrating Root, while Hiruzen reviewed Yoru’s file and questioned his connection to Orochimaru.

• Uchiha Yoru told Orochimaru about the Wandering Miko and said the Uchiha clan head would support his bid to become Hokage.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Yoru to clean up their base before they moved to another one.
• Danzo learned Root could not find the spy who leaked information about Kou and accused Hiruzen of secretly watching Root.
• Hiruzen considered Konoha’s staffing shortages, border tensions, and internal troubles after Minato’s death.
• An Anbu delivered Uchiha Yoru’s file, and Hiruzen questioned why Orochimaru had taken him as a disciple and noted his ambiguous relationship with Yūhi Kurenai.

Uchiha Yoru persuaded Shisui that Danzo was obstructing Orochimaru’s path to becoming Fifth Hokage and that the Uchiha should fund his Wood Style research. Shisui agreed to report the matter to the clan head and secure more support, while Yoru privately resolved to keep taking a share of the funds.

• Shisui delivered a suitcase of Uchiha funding to Uchiha Yoru, who concealed his unease and claimed Orochimaru needed more resources.
• Uchiha Yoru told Shisui that Danzo was using Orochimaru’s successful creation of a Wood Style ninja to threaten his succession as Hokage.
• Shisui questioned whether the Third knew about Danzo’s actions, then became unsettled about the Hokage and Danzo.
• Uchiha Yoru argued that further Wood Style research would give Orochimaru an achievement strong enough to secure the Fifth Hokage position.
• Shisui promised to report the situation to the clan head and help Orochimaru, while Uchiha Yoru emphasized that the Uchiha’s support could restore the clan’s influence.

Orochimaru learned that Shin'nosuke Sarutobi would replace him as commander on the Land of Lightning front, while Uchiha Yoruro recognized the appointment as a political move to weaken Orochimaru and strengthen the Sarutobi Clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi sent his son to the front and hoped the assignment would restrain Orochimaru, leaving the struggle over Konoha's power unresolved.

• Uchiha Yoruro reported that spies from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water were probing Konoha's defenses while small nations tried to provoke conflict.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Yoruro that a new commander would take over the Land of Lightning front in half a month and said someone had come to claim his gains.
• Uchiha Yoruro saw that Shin'nosuke Sarutobi had been named Orochimaru's replacement and realized the Sarutobi Clan was gaining influence.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Shin'nosuke Sarutobi a Konoha jonin and instructed him to maintain the stable situation on the Land of Lightning front.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Shin'nosuke Sarutobi that Orochimaru had taken a dangerous path and explained that the appointment served the wishes of the village's leaders and the Sarutobi Clan.

Uchiha Yoruro asked Hizashi Hyuga for the Hyuga Clan's front-line roster and offered the clan future places in Orochimaru's Anbu in exchange for funding. Hizashi was tempted, while Yoruro planned to use the money for Orochimaru's research before his teacher defected.

• Uchiha Yoruro met Hizashi Hyuga and requested the Hyuga Clan's roster ahead of the front-line reorganization.
• Hizashi handed over a roster that showed the Hyuga Clan was backing Orochimaru, with branch-family members assigned to the fronts and Main Family members arriving from the rear.
• Uchiha Yoruro raised the issue of the Anbu and explained that Orochimaru would need to form his own unit after becoming Fifth Hokage.
• Uchiha Yoruro offered the Hyuga Clan two Anbu membership slots for funding, and Hizashi showed interest in the deal.
• Uchiha Yoruro intended to use the money for Orochimaru's research while he still had the opportunity.

Uchiha Yoruro secured political support and funding for Orochimaru from several major clans, then received Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Sword as a reward. He left with the sword and instructions to continue his training while the border remained stable.

• Uchiha Yoruro told Orochimaru that the Inuzuka and Aburame clans offered fifty million in support, while the Hyuga Clan offered two hundred million and asked him to consider their candidates for the Anbu.
• Orochimaru agreed to consider the Hyuga request and promised that the Uchiha would receive the same consideration.
• Orochimaru presented Uchiha Yoruro with the Kusanagi Sword, which he drew from his mouth using a snake.
• Uchiha Yoruro gratefully accepted the sword and sheathed it at his lower back.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Yoruro to follow his training plan because the border had been stable lately.

At the Land of Fire–Land of Water border, Shisui told Yoru that the village planned to recall Orochimaru and replace him with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, apparently to deprive Orochimaru of merit. Yoru learned that Shisui suspected a plot by the Sarutobi clan but concealed his own agreement, leaving Shisui’s distrust buried.

• Shisui told Yoru that the village planned to recall Orochimaru and assign the Land of Water defenses to the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
• Shisui said Sarutobi clan shinobi were spreading rumors that Orochimaru and the Uchiha had conspired in the Nine-Tails’ Rampage to gain the Hokage position.
• Shisui said the Third Hokage had stopped the rumors but still intended to recall Orochimaru.
• Yoru realized that someone wanted to keep Orochimaru from returning with enough merit to be nominated as the Fifth Hokage.
• Yoru defended the Third Hokage and urged Shisui not to suspect him, causing Shisui to suppress his doubts.

Uchiha Yoruro persuaded Shisui to trust Orochimaru and believe he would become the Fifth Hokage, while privately deducing that Orochimaru’s defection was still about two years away. Yoruro expected Orochimaru to face suppression when he returned, but Shisui remained convinced that his inauguration would reunite the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage faction.

• Yoruro convinced Shisui that he had been too distrustful of the village and urged him to look at matters from every angle.
• Yoruro encouraged Shisui to believe Orochimaru was returning to become the Fifth Hokage, and Shisui eagerly vowed to witness his inauguration.
• Yoruro analyzed clues about Itachi’s Sharingan awakening and concluded that Orochimaru would likely defect in about two years.
• Yoruro concluded that Konoha had diminished the Sannin’s standing and expected Orochimaru to face suppression upon returning.
• Shisui interpreted Yoruro’s remarks as confidence in Orochimaru’s coming appointment, while Yoruro was thinking about the village’s treatment of Orochimaru.

As Konoha reassigned its border commanders, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure received intelligence through a supposedly compromised Konoha spy line and debated whether the source was genuine or a trap. The three villages agreed to pay for the information and monitor it, while Kumogakure prepared probing harassment against Konoha.

• Fourth Raikage Ay learned that Orochimaru had been recalled and Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, the Uchiha, and the Hyuga Family had taken over the front line.
• Dodai told Fourth Raikage Ay that intelligence about Shin'nosuke Sarutobi had arrived two months before his assignment was known, through a spy line whose original agent Konoha had captured.
• Fourth Raikage Ay ordered the intelligence classified, agreed to pay the source in gold and medicinal herbs, and told Dodai to prepare probing harassment against Konoha.
• Suikazan Fuguki decided to meet the source's demands, reasoning that the intelligence trade could benefit Kirigakure despite the possibility of a trap.
• Ōnoki marked the report S-rank and ordered Iwagakure's Intelligence Department to verify major claims and pay the source if the information justified the cost.

After returning to Konoha, Uchiha Yoruro used Shisui’s concern for Orochimaru and the Uchiha clan’s isolation to deepen Shisui’s doubts about the village leadership. The chapter left Shisui convinced that Orochimaru becoming Fifth Hokage would change things.

• Uchiha Yoruro, Shisui, and the others returned to Konoha after half a year, where Shisui felt dissatisfied that Orochimaru received no welcome.
• Shisui confided his concerns to Uchiha Yoruro, who urged him to believe in the Will of Fire while privately trying to make his doubts fester.
• Uchiha Yoruro and Shisui arrived at the Uchiha Clan’s new compound and saw that it had been relocated to an isolated forest.
• Uchiha Yoruro pretended to praise the compound and its house, while Shisui felt guilty about the clan’s separation from the village.
• Uchiha Yoruro told Shisui that everything would change once Teacher Orochimaru became the Fifth Hokage, and Shisui agreed.

Uchiha Yoruro told Fugaku and Setsuna that Orochimaru had been assigned to Root’s restarted Wood Release research, and persuaded the clan to fund it as a way to support Orochimaru’s bid for Hokage. After entering the clan’s center of power, Yoruro considered how to grow stronger before Orochimaru’s expected defection in two years.

• Yoruro told Fugaku and Setsuna that Orochimaru had been recalled from the front line and was being sidelined by the village’s leaders.
• Yoruro revealed that Orochimaru had joined Root and would lead secret Wood Release research, prompting Setsuna to suspect the village was guarding against the Uchiha.
• Yoruro claimed the earlier Wood Release experiments had succeeded once and suggested Orochimaru could use the project to contend for Hokage.
• Setsuna concluded that the Hokage faction was delaying Orochimaru by withholding funds, and Fugaku and Setsuna decided the Uchiha would fully fund his research.
• Yoruro pledged to support Orochimaru, officially entered the Uchiha’s center of power, and resolved to strengthen himself without attracting undue attention before Orochimaru defected.

Uchiha Ye exchanged for the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Shippuden Kakashi's ninjutsu talent, and the Third Raikage's physique talent, gaining exceptional chakra control and potential. Meanwhile, Konoha credited the Third Hokage with restoring stability, leaving Uchiha Itachi puzzled about Orochimaru's disappearance and setting him on a different path.

• Uchiha Ye endured the painful transformation after exchanging for the Sharingan and the two talents, and concluded that his chakra control and hand-sign speed had reached Shippuden Kakashi's level.
• Uchiha Ye inspected his attributes, noted his new Earth nature and growing physical potential, and decided his increased abilities would not yet arouse Teacher Orochimaru's suspicions.
• Konoha gradually stabilized after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, while reports and village gossip credited the Third Hokage and overlooked Orochimaru's role at the front lines.
• A Ninja Academy instructor praised the Third as the strongest Hokage, and Uchiha Itachi wondered why Orochimaru had vanished from the public story despite what he had learned from Shisui.
• A girl asked Uchiha Itachi whether Uchiha Yoru would return now that the front line had stabilized, and Itachi told her that Brother Yoru had already come back.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisers weighed Konoha’s stability against Orochimaru’s bid to become Hokage and tacitly backed Shin'nosuke Sarutobi as a future successor. They also planned to monitor the Uchiha and draw in younger clan members as Konoha recovered.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura urged Hiruzen Sarutobi not to blame himself for Orochimaru joining Root and warned that Orochimaru’s faction threatened the village’s political balance.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to end the matter and prioritize Konoha’s stability after the Third Shinobi War and the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
• Utatane Koharu said Shin'nosuke Sarutobi could stand on his own in three to five years, and Hiruzen tacitly accepted his son as a possible Fifth Hokage.
• Utatane Koharu urged Hiruzen to watch the Uchiha, and he said the Anbu had begun monitoring them while preparing to approach younger clan members.

Shimura Danzō worried about the Uchiha and Hyuga growing too powerful, while Uchiha Yoru gained a place in Uchiha Fugaku’s faction by agreeing to train Uchiha Itachi. The chapter left Yoru considering the political significance of Mikoto Uchiha, whose past as an Elite Jonin made her more than she appeared.

• Shimura Danzō read intelligence about the Uchiha and urged Orochimaru to keep both the Uchiha and Hyuga from becoming too powerful.
• Uchiha Yoru visited Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha at the Uchiha Compound.
• Uchiha Fugaku called Mikoto Yoru’s sister-in-law and asked Yoru to guide Uchiha Itachi.
• Uchiha Yoru agreed to take Itachi as a disciple, binding himself more closely to Fugaku’s faction.
• Uchiha Yoru reflected that Mikoto was the daughter of Elder Setsuna and had once been an Elite Jonin with the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Uchiha Yoru accepted six-year-old Uchiha Itachi as his student and arranged for Uchiha Shisui to help teach him, strengthening the Uchiha clan’s ties to Orochimaru. When Itachi asked about the Will of Fire, Yoru urged him to consider who was spreading the idea, suspecting the Academy was promoting Hiruzen Sarutobi’s image.

• Uchiha Fugaku introduced Itachi to Uchiha Yoru as his new teacher and welcomed Yoru’s suggestion that Itachi might train with Ryūchi Cave’s Summoning Beasts.
• Uchiha Yoru proposed that Uchiha Shisui help teach Itachi, and Fugaku entrusted Itachi to them.
• Uchiha Yoru and Shisui met Itachi in the courtyard, where Itachi described his Academy lessons and its praise of the Third Hokage.
• Itachi asked what the Will of Fire meant, and Yoru told him to first ask who had said those words.

Uchiha Yoru reframed the Will of Fire for Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui as a legacy shared by Senju and Uchiha, then recounted their disagreement over how to achieve peace. Itachi left with renewed pride in protecting Konoha, while Shisui began questioning the village’s treatment of the clan and hoped Orochimaru would become the Fifth Hokage.

• Uchiha Yoru told Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui that Senju and Uchiha had jointly founded Konoha, and presented Uchiha’s fire as part of the Will of Fire.
• Uchiha Yoru explained that Senju favored peace through distributing the tailed beasts, while Uchiha believed unifying the Shinobi World through force could bring lasting peace.
• Uchiha Itachi embraced the belief that Uchiha protected Konoha, while Uchiha Shisui questioned whether either Senju’s or Uchiha’s approach could prevent war.
• Uchiha Itachi asked whether a Shinobi World with only one Land of Fire and one Konoha would have no wars, and Uchiha Yoru said there was no answer yet.
• Uchiha Shisui suspected that other clans’ exclusion of Uchiha involved the clan’s interests as well as suspicion over the Nine-Tails, and hoped Orochimaru would become the Fifth Hokage.
• Uchiha Itachi wondered whether the Third was stronger than the First Hokage and the ancestors who had pacified the Warring States Period.

Uchiha Yoru used his influence in the Military Police Force to direct Shisui to carry out Root’s dirty work, including dealing with Unno Ki and transferring his property. Shisui questioned how long the Uchiha would have to keep taking these missions as their reputation suffered.

• Uchiha Yoru reviewed intelligence Shisui had brought and noticed Shisui was troubled.
• Yoru reminded Shisui that their work was for the Uchiha Clan and Konoha, then showed him information about Unno Ki.
• Shisui learned that Unno Ki was an ordinary Chūnin whose family had mostly died during Nine-Tails Night, leaving his nephew Umino Iruka.
• Yoru ordered Shisui to handle Unno Ki cleanly, transfer his shops to Sarutobi Hizuki, and leave few assets for Umino Iruka.
• Shisui asked how much longer he had to carry out secret missions and complained that villagers were speaking badly of the Uchiha.
• The chapter explained that Orochimaru’s Root assignments had largely shifted to the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, with Yoru’s Uchiha receiving the largest share.