Chapter Summaries

The Third Hokage removed Kakashi from the Anbu, then secretly tasked him with investigating whether the Uchiha Clan had been behind the Nine-Tails’ Rampage. Kakashi accepted, leaving the office set to pursue the mission through the Konoha Military Police Force.

• The Third told Kakashi that his classmates had asked for him to be transferred out of the Anbu because of his worsening condition.
• Kakashi reported that Uchiha Yoru had defeated him in their spar and described Yoru’s Jōnin-level abilities.
• The Third said Kakashi’s time in the Anbu had failed to ease his trauma and announced he would remove him from the unit while keeping him under direct orders.
• Kakashi accepted the Third’s mission without hesitation.
• The Third revealed that the Nine-Tails’ Rampage had likely been orchestrated by someone from the Uchiha Clan and told Kakashi to investigate them by joining the Konoha Military Police Force.

Uchiha Yoru agreed that Kakashi needed a safer post, while suspecting others were maneuvering to place him in the Military Police Force. At the Memorial Stone, Danzo exploited Kakashi’s grief and doubts about the Third, leaving him shaken and questioning the events of Nine-Tails Night.

• Might Guy begged Uchiha Yoru to let Kakashi recover by working in the Military Police Force, and Yoru agreed while worrying Kakashi might refuse.
• After Might Guy left, Uchiha Yoru suspected that Kakashi’s reassignment was part of a scheme to place him in the Military Police Force.
• At the Memorial Stone, Danzo offered Kakashi a place in Root and blamed the Third for the prolonged war and Kakashi’s inability to fight the Nine-Tails.
• Danzo suggested that the Third’s orders had contributed to Minato’s death and might have served his own ambitions, then left Kakashi with white chrysanthemums.
• Kakashi recalled the Third’s order on Nine-Tails Night and began questioning why Minato and his wife had died, becoming terrified and distraught.

Kakashi secretly served Danzō while investigating the truth behind the Uchiha Clan, unaware that the Third was monitoring him and planning to shape what he discovered. Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru learned that Kakashi's ties to the Hatake Clan could make him valuable to the Seventh Division.

• Kakashi reported to Danzō, who urged him to infiltrate the Military Police Force and believed he had gained a double agent.
• An Anbu reported Kakashi's visit to Root to the Third, who ordered him to watch Kakashi's investigation and planned to control what truth he uncovered.
• News of Kakashi's battle with Uchiha Yoru spread, and Yoru gained recognition as a genius ninja.
• Uchiha Yoru told Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Setsuna that Kakashi and Might Guy had joined the Seventh Division.
• Fugaku warned Yoru to stay wary of the newcomers, while Setsuna explained the Uchiha Clan's former ties to the Hatake Clan and the White Fang's influence.

Uchiha Yoru took Hatake Kakashi to meet Orochimaru about the chakra drain caused by Kakashi's Sharingan. At the entrance to Orochimaru's experimental base, Kakashi found inspiration for training chakra control through Earth Release.

• Uchiha Yoru and Hatake Kakashi sparred with swords and taijutsu, and Yoru praised Kakashi's growing skill with the Sharingan.
• Uchiha Yoru told Kakashi he had arranged a meeting with Orochimaru to address the Sharingan's constant chakra drain, and Might Guy agreed to handle their patrol.
• Uchiha Yoru privately considered how Kakashi valued comrades and led him to Orochimaru's experimental base near the Forest of Death.
• Uchiha Yoru explained that Orochimaru had shaped the snake-head cave entrance with Earth Release and chakra control.
• Hatake Kakashi realized that sculpting animal forms with Earth Release might help train chakra control.

Uchiha Yoruro brought Hatake Kakashi into a secret village research base and explained that it studied growing limbs and organs. Yoruro promised to help suppress Kakashi’s Chakra-draining Sharingan, while Kakashi believed Yoruro was protecting him from political entanglement and felt guilty about using his old classmate.

• Uchiha Yoruro escorted Hatake Kakashi into the underground laboratory after Kakashi signed a confidentiality agreement.
• Yoruro explained that the base researched growing limbs and organs for transplantation, and Kakashi saw body parts in culture tanks.
• Yoruro told Kakashi that his Sharingan constantly consumed Chakra and was holding back his training.
• Kakashi thanked Yoruro and felt guilty because he planned to use his companion for his mission.
• Yoruro told Kakashi to leave the conversation with Orochimaru to him, and Kakashi took this as a sign that Yoruro wanted to keep him out of the political conflict.

Uchiha Yoruro brought Kakashi to Orochimaru to address the strain caused by his transplanted Sharingan, and Orochimaru sealed the eye so Kakashi could suppress it until needed. Yoruro then gave Kakashi the Five Elements Seal scroll, while Kakashi left grateful but feeling increasingly indebted to his classmate.

• Uchiha Yoruro brought Kakashi to Orochimaru, who examined Kakashi's permanently active Three Tomoe Sharingan and identified the conflict between the eye and Kakashi's body.
• Orochimaru used the Five Elements Seal to suppress Kakashi's left eye, leaving only enough Chakra to keep it active and giving Kakashi a Sealing Talisman to undo the seal.
• Orochimaru offered Kakashi a place working for him, but Kakashi stayed silent because he was the Fourth Hokage's student.
• Uchiha Yoruro gave Kakashi the Five Elements Seal scroll so he could manage his eye himself, and Kakashi accepted it despite feeling guilty about the gift.

Uchiha Yoru discussed Kakashi’s suspected surveillance with Orochimaru, then sought his guidance on ninjutsu and received a Lightning Release scroll to support his Chidori-series research. The chapter left Yoru eager to use Orochimaru’s expertise to develop his ideas.

• Orochimaru sensed someone outside the research base, and Uchiha Yoru identified the intruder as Kakashi, whom he suspected was spying for the Third Hokage.
• Uchiha Yoru told Orochimaru to let Kakashi inspect the base, arguing that Root’s mission did not violate village rules and that the research should be kept discreetly known among elite shinobi.
• Kabuto Yakushi delivered experimental data, and Orochimaru praised his medical talent and his potential as an assistant.
• Uchiha Yoru gave Orochimaru the month’s research funding, then asked for help with his training and ninjutsu ideas.
• Orochimaru gave Uchiha Yoru a scroll of Lightning Release research materials to help him develop his Chidori-series ninjutsu.

Uchiha Yoru began helping Mitaraishi Anko train under Orochimaru’s guidance, hoping to preserve her potential and strengthen his political allies before Orochimaru’s expected fall. The chapter ended with Yoru noticing someone in the forest and smiling.

• Uchiha Yoru sparred with Mitaraishi Anko and told her Orochimaru had asked him to keep an eye on her training.
• Yoru gave Anko Orochimaru’s detailed training plan, and she excitedly vowed to catch up with him.
• Yoru explained that Anko should focus on Chakra training and Snake Style Ninjutsu, with Fire Release Ninjutsu as support.
• Yoru considered how building Anko’s strength and political ties could help him protect his position after Orochimaru’s fall.
• Yoru spotted someone watching from the forest and smiled.

Uchiha Yoru used the discovery of spies in the Military Police Force to deepen Shisui’s faith in Orochimaru, while Yūhi Kurenai warned him that the Third was watching him. The chapter ended with Yoru suspecting that Kurenai’s visit was part of a layered scheme to conceal Kakashi’s surveillance.

• Shisui reported that twenty-three spies from the Anbu, Root, the Intelligence Department, and other groups had infiltrated the Military Police Force’s Seventh Division.
• Uchiha Yoru comforted Shisui, urged him to stop investigating, and let him place his hopes in Orochimaru becoming the Fifth Hokage.
• Uchiha Yoru burned Shisui’s intelligence scroll and resolved to retaliate against those spying on the division.
• Yūhi Kurenai warned Uchiha Yoru that he was being watched, and he assured her that Orochimaru’s rise would resolve the Uchiha crisis.
• Yūhi Kurenai told Uchiha Yoru that the Hokage was secretly investigating the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, and Yoru suspected the Third had sent her to distract from Kakashi’s spying.

Kakashi broke into the Seventh Precinct to steal a sealed scroll containing hidden intelligence, but Shisui and Uchiha Yoru caught him. After destroying the scroll, Yoru warned both men to keep its contents secret and declared that he would sever his bonds for Konoha.

• Kakashi opened a scroll taken from Yoru’s office and used his Sharingan to reveal the Uchiha Clan’s concealed writing.
• Shisui attacked Kakashi, unmasking him, and both men saw the scroll’s hidden contents.
• Yoru burst into the office and incapacitated Kakashi with the Kusanagi Sword before confronting Shisui.
• Yoru burned the scroll and warned Kakashi and Shisui that the unverified intelligence must not be revealed.
• Yoru attacked both men and declared he would sever his bonds without mercy for the village and Konoha.

After seeing Uchiha Yoru’s evidence that Konoha’s forces had secretly collected Sharingan, Kakashi and Shisui struggled with what it implied about the village and the Nine-Tails’ Rampage. Yoru persuaded Shisui that the Uchiha had a duty to protect Konoha, leaving Shisui’s view of the village increasingly shaped by Yoru’s belief that it belonged to the Uchiha.

• Kakashi and Shisui saw evidence that Root or Anbu had collected missing Sharingan, and Kakashi feared the Hokage faction might have been involved in the Nine-Tails’ Rampage.
• Uchiha Yoru told Kakashi and Shisui to forget what they had seen, while privately reflecting that the clues were true even though he had added some details himself.
• Kakashi left the office using the Body Flicker Technique, and Shisui insisted that he had a right to know the truth as a member of the Uchiha Clan.
• Shisui performed a kneeling bow and pleaded with Uchiha Yoru to tell him more.
• Uchiha Yoru told Shisui that the Uchiha and Senju had founded Konoha and that the Uchiha must now protect it, leading Shisui to adopt a stronger belief that the village belonged to the Uchiha.

Uchiha Yoru revealed to Uchiha Shisui that the village was experimenting on Uchiha Sharingan and First Hokage cells, then warned him that exposing the truth could trigger civil war and a Fourth Shinobi War. Shisui agreed to avoid plunging Konoha into conflict, while Yoru privately revealed that he had staged the conversation for Shisui and Kakashi, who was secretly listening outside.

• Uchiha Shisui challenged Uchiha Yoru to stop hiding the village's secrets and let him share the burden.
• Uchiha Yoru told Shisui that the village was conducting experiments on Uchiha Sharingan and First Hokage cells, and that Shimura Danzō had tested a Sharingan in his right eye.
• Shisui's anger awakened his Three Tomoe, and Yoru warned him that revealing the intelligence could split the Uchiha from the Hokage Faction and lead to war.
• Shisui accepted Yoru's warning and asked what he planned to do, while Kakashi secretly watched from outside the office.
• Yoru privately admitted that he had improvised the performance after sensing Kakashi, and that he believed the Uchiha should rightfully lead Konoha.

Uchiha Yoru told Shisui he intended to stop Konoha’s forbidden research and, if necessary, become Sixth Hokage. After winning Shisui and Kakashi’s trust, Yoru reflected on his political gambit against Hiruzen Sarutobi and resolved to let events unfold.

• Uchiha Yoru told Shisui he would ask Orochimaru to end the First Hokage’s Wood Style Cells and Sharingan research, and would pursue the Sixth Hokage’s position if needed.
• Shisui vowed to serve Yoru, but Yoru called him a trusted companion rather than a tool.
• Shisui offered to deal with Kakashi after Kakashi saw the intelligence, but Yoru trusted Kakashi to keep it secret and called him a hero.
• Kakashi listened outside the office and was moved by Yoru’s words, while Shisui and Kakashi appeared to make firm decisions.
• Uchiha Yoru reflected that Hiruzen’s political maneuvering had damaged both White Fang and Orochimaru, then noted that his Sharingan had evolved to three tomoe after staging the night’s events.
• Uchiha Yoru looked toward Hokage Rock and decided to let his counterattack against Hiruzen Sarutobi continue unfolding.

Kakashi reported Danzo’s interest in Uchiha Sharingan to Hiruzen, hoping to learn the truth behind the deaths of several Uchiha shinobi. Hiruzen framed Danzo’s secret research as a possible sacrifice for Konoha, leaving Kakashi shaken by the possibility that the village’s leaders were involved in stealing and studying Sharingan.

• At Root, Kakashi told Danzo that Hiruzen had ordered him to investigate the deaths of Uchiha Tsuchi, Uchiha Koreji, and Uchiha Kaze, who had all lost their Sharingan.
• Danzo urged Kakashi to watch the Uchiha Clan, claiming their Sharingan posed a danger to the village, while Kakashi grew suspicious of Danzo’s motives.
• After leaving Root, Kakashi went to Hiruzen and reported that Danzo had ordered him to investigate Uchiha elites with Three Tomoe Sharingan.
• Hiruzen explained that Konoha had once pursued Wood Style experiments to control tailed beasts and suggested Danzo might have sought to acquire Sharingan after the Nine-Tails Disaster.
• Kakashi realized Hiruzen was not firmly condemning the Sharingan research and became frightened that Konoha’s leaders might be complicit.

Kakashi inferred that the Third and Danzo had tolerated secret Sharingan experiments and resolved that their treatment of the Uchiha crossed his moral line. At the Uchiha Compound, Uchiha Yoru guided Itachi toward restraint and deeper curiosity, while Fugaku and Mikoto discussed the burdens facing their sons.

• Kakashi concluded that the Third and Danzo had tacitly allowed secret Sharingan experiments and that the Uchiha had endured them for the village.
• Uchiha Yoru taught Uchiha Itachi that he should develop his Chakra carefully while young and focus on shuriken training and Chakra control.
• Uchiha Yoru deliberately left Itachi curious about what he was hiding, hoping to distract him from outside indoctrination.
• Mikoto Uchiha praised Uchiha Yoru as a gentle teacher, while Uchiha Fugaku said Itachi's birth destined him to bear responsibility.
• Uchiha Fugaku suggested Sasuke could have a more complete childhood, then privately noted how much the boy resembled Uchiha Yoru.

Uchiha Yoru visited the Uchiha household, where Mikoto and Fugaku reacted awkwardly to Sasuke’s hairstyle matching Yoru’s. Fugaku then praised Yoru’s Three Tomoe Sharingan and rewarded him with clan ninjutsu scrolls, leaving Yoru with new resources and the clan’s support.

• Fugaku’s cold expression frightened young Sasuke, so Mikoto took him away and asked Itachi to get him a different hairstyle.
• Itachi carried Sasuke out for a walk and insisted that Sasuke’s matching hairstyle suited him.
• Fugaku invited Yoru to share tea and asked about his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
• Yoru feigned sorrow over the pressures and betrayals surrounding his subordinates in the Seventh Division.
• Fugaku praised Yoru’s service to the Uchiha and gave him ninjutsu scrolls reserved for Three Tomoe elites.

Uchiha Yoru visited Orochimaru and shared the Uchiha Clan’s secret ninjutsu, then examined Orochimaru’s unfinished Forbidden Technique research. Yoru recognized the technique’s potential for longevity, and Orochimaru was thrilled to find someone who understood his ambition.

• Uchiha Yoru entered Orochimaru’s study and gave him a scroll of ninjutsu reserved for Three Tomoe Uchiha elites.
• Orochimaru congratulated Uchiha Yoru on evolving his Sharingan and shared his unfinished Forbidden Technique research with him.
• Uchiha Yoru read the experimental records and was stunned by the forbidden nature of the technique.
• Uchiha Yoru said the research offered hope for longevity, and Orochimaru reacted with emotion and manic excitement.

Orochimaru explained the origins and purpose of the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, and Uchiha Yoru agreed to help pursue its promise of longevity. Yoru proposed growing a replacement body from Orochimaru’s own young cells, giving Orochimaru a way to address the technique’s backlash.

• Orochimaru told Uchiha Yoru that the Second Hokage had developed the technique as a way to prolong Hashirama Senju’s life.
• Uchiha Yoru pointed out that experiments with soul transfer had caused severe backlash and identified problems involving the soul’s ties to its original body and its effects on the new body.
• Orochimaru described how the Spirit Transformation Technique might help overcome those obstacles and urged Yoru to join him in pursuing longevity.
• Uchiha Yoru said that a ninja’s lifespan was too short, confirming to Orochimaru that he was willing to pursue the research with him.
• Uchiha Yoru suggested that Orochimaru grow a body from his own young cells, and Orochimaru enthusiastically embraced the idea.

Uchiha Yoru visited Hizashi Hyuga and hinted that Orochimaru might help the Branch Family find a way to break the Caged Bird seal. Hizashi was left shaken by the possibility and by the implication that he could support Orochimaru’s research under the cover of Yoru’s visit.

• Uchiha Yoru and Hizashi Hyuga shared tea and exchanged formal courtesies while snow fell outside.
• Uchiha Yoru asked about Neji’s age and revealed that Orochimaru wanted to examine the Hyuga Branch Family’s Caged Bird.
• Hizashi Hyuga recalled the Branch Family’s suffering and trembled as he considered whether Orochimaru could help them escape the seal.
• Uchiha Yoru suggested that examining the birdcage might reveal its cage door, then mentioned that Orochimaru needed research funding because many people had witnessed his visit.
• Hizashi Hyuga watched Uchiha Yoru leave and was approached by Neji, whose presence intensified his fear and uncertainty.

Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and the Anbu Captain plotted to prevent Orochimaru from becoming Fifth Hokage by exploiting his research into the Second Hokage’s Forbidden Techniques. Danzō agreed to their plan in exchange for a future joint effort against the Uchiha Clan.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura warned that Konoha needed stability after the Third Shinobi War and the Nine-Tails Disaster.
• Shimura Danzō said the Second Hokage’s Forbidden Technique records had been sent to Orochimaru, who would be tempted to study them.
• The Anbu Captain argued that Orochimaru’s backing from the Uchiha, Hyuga, and other clans threatened the current balance of power.
• The Anbu Captain offered the elders decades of stability if they helped keep Orochimaru from taking office.
• Shimura Danzō agreed to the plan and demanded that they deal with the Uchiha Clan together in the future.