Chapter Summaries

Hizashi Hyuga led the Branch Family in secretly sealing their Caged Bird marks and escaping the Hyuga Compound, with Hiashi Hyuga choosing to let his younger brother go. The Branch Family’s mass flight toward the Konoha Military Police Force to seek shelter with Root and Orochimaru alarmed the village.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders discussed weakening the Hyuga Clan before gradually isolating and dealing with the Uchiha Clan.
• Hizashi Hyuga revealed a seal that could suppress the Caged Bird and told the Branch Family Jōnin that Root had developed it.
• The Branch Family Jōnin agreed to be sealed, while Hizashi said their families had already been secretly treated and gathered them to leave.
• Hiashi Hyuga let Hizashi depart and quietly protected him as he led the Branch Family out of the compound.
• Hizashi led several hundred Branch Family members through Konoha toward the Military Police Force, declaring that they were seeking shelter with Root and Orochimaru.
• Konoha patrols, Anbu, and village shinobi were stunned by the migration and hurried to report it to their commanders.

The Hyuga Branch Family relocated en masse to the Seventh Division after Hizashi Hyuga said Root had freed them from the Caged Bird, prompting Konoha’s leaders to blame Shimura Danzō for Orochimaru’s actions. Uchiha Yoru arranged temporary housing and resettlement, while the move spread public outrage over the Hyuga clan’s treatment of its Branch Family.

• Hizashi Hyuga led the Hyuga Branch Family to the Seventh Division and declared that they were joining Root and pledging themselves to Orochimaru in gratitude for breaking the Caged Bird.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Shimura Danzō, who learned from a Root member that Orochimaru had broken the Caged Bird and was blamed because Orochimaru belonged to Root.
• Hiruzen ordered Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu to conclude peace negotiations with Kumogakure’s envoys so Konoha could focus on its internal crisis.
• Uchiha Yoru ordered Uzuki Yugao and Shisui to help settle the Hyuga, and designated an empty plot near the Uchiha Compound as their temporary residence under Root’s authority.
• Konoha ninjas gathered to watch the Hyuga Branch Family’s relocation, and rumors about the Caged Bird and their treatment by the Main Family spread through the village.
• Might Guy praised Orochimaru’s actions, and Kakashi joined him in expressing support as the Hyuga Branch Family watched with gratitude.

Hyuga Hiashi organized the Main Family’s defenses after the Branch Family escaped the Caged Bird and defected to Root. He prevented the elders from starting a civil war, redirected their anger toward Konoha’s leadership, and left them planning to demand an explanation from Hokage-sama.

• Hyuga Hiashi ordered the Main Family to shelter noncombatants, prepare defenses, and arm its ninja after the Branch Family fled.
• A scout reported that the Branch Family had gathered at the Seventh Division Office Building and declared its defection to Root and Orochimaru.
• Hyuga Hiashi told the elders that Root had backed the Branch Family, prompting them to blame Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hyuga Hiashi proposed attacking the Branch Family, but the elders opposed war because it could bring in Root and the Konoha Military Police Force and destroy the clan.
• The Great Elder urged the Main Family to seek support from other clans and pressure Sarutobi for an explanation, and Hyuga Hiashi agreed that Danzo was their enemy.

The Hyuga Branch Family relocated to the Uchiha Compound under Root’s orders, provoking outrage from both clans and Konoha’s other leaders. Hiruzen Sarutobi stripped Shimura Danzō of his Root position, and Danzō left realizing Sarutobi might have orchestrated the crisis to weaken the Hyuga Clan and frame him.

• Uchiha Yoru and Hizashi Hyuga announced that Root had ordered the Hyuga Branch Family to relocate, and Kakashi was sent to report the move to the Hokage.
• The Hyuga Branch Family settled in the Uchiha Compound, prompting Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Uchiha Setsuna to demand an explanation from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō.
• Hiashi Hyuga and the Hyuga Great Elder confronted the leaders, denouncing Root’s actions and arguing with Setsuna over the occupied Uchiha land.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared that Danzō was stripped of his Root position and that Anbu would supervise Root, while Danzō insisted he was going home.
• After leaving the meeting, Danzō suspected Sarutobi had known about Orochimaru’s actions and used the crisis to weaken the Hyuga Clan while making Danzō take the blame.

After the Hyuga Branch Family split from the Main Family and occupied part of the Uchiha compound, Konoha’s leaders gathered to settle the conflict. Hiruzen suspended Danzo and promised not to interfere in clan affairs, while the Hyuga Great Elder accepted the separation and called for the Main Family to preserve its strength.

• Uchiha Yoru apologized for carrying out Root’s orders and said he would consult Hiruzen before following such orders again.
• Uchiha Fugaku protested the Branch Family’s relocation into the Uchiha compound, and Hiruzen promised compensation while allowing them to remain there temporarily.
• Hizashi Hyuga described the Branch Family’s escape from the Caged Bird and apologized to Fugaku for occupying Uchiha land.
• Hyuga Hiashi challenged Root’s involvement, and Hiruzen said he had suspended Danzo, ordered an investigation, and declared that the village would not interfere in clan affairs.
• The Hyuga Great Elder urged Hiashi to restore the Main Family’s prestige, then publicly wished the departing Branch Family prosperity.

After the Hyuga Clan split, its dying Great Elder urged the Main and Branch Families to end their hatred, transferred authority to Hyuga Hiashi, and gave Hizashi Hyuga the Main Family’s Gentle Fist secret technique. Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisors then decided to use the Branch Family against the Uchiha and blame Shimura Danzō for the arrangement.

• The Great Elder told the Main Family that the Caged Bird had caused the clan’s conflict and urged them to stop hating the Branch Family and direct their anger toward Shimura Danzō.
• Hizashi Hyuga arrived at the Great Elder’s invitation, and the Great Elder joined his and Hyuga Hiashi’s hands and asked them to end the family’s hatred.
• The Great Elder gave Hizashi the Gentle Fist secret technique scroll and returned his authority to Hiashi before dying.
• The Great Elder privately warned Hiashi not to attack the Branch Family until the Main Family had absolute strength.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu discussed the Hyuga split and decided to keep the Branch Family stationed in the Uchiha Compound, leaving Shimura Danzō to take the blame.

Shimura Danzō and the Anbu Captain prepared a secret move against Orochimaru while Uchiha Shisui discovered that Root had imprisoned children from the Daimyo's Mansion and the Nara Clan. Uchiha Yoru realized the arrests were a trap aimed at Orochimaru, and he, Shisui, and Hatake Kakashi rushed to warn him.

• The Anbu Captain urged Shimura Danzō to finish off Orochimaru, while Danzō secretly planned to make her and the Sarutobi Clan take the blame.
• Uchiha Itachi questioned Uchiha Shisui about the children Root had sent to the prison, and Shisui admitted that he and Brother Yoru had secretly rescued them from human experimentation.
• Itachi recognized two imprisoned children as visitors from the Daimyo's Mansion and the Nara Clan, prompting Shisui to suspect a major crisis and hurry to alert Brother Yoru.
• Shisui confronted Hatake Kakashi at the Seventh Division office and accused him of verifying false information about the children.
• Uchiha Yoru recognized the arrests as a trap against Orochimaru and sent word to find Lord Jiraiya before rushing with Shisui and Kakashi to warn Teacher Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Orochimaru over forbidden experiments, but Orochimaru killed two Anbu Guards and defected from Konoha. As Orochimaru encountered Uchiha Yoru, Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy while escaping, a trap set by Hiruzen exploded and wounded him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi suspended his daughter-in-law after discovering her collaboration with Danzo, and she retaliated by ordering subordinates to expose Orochimaru's experiments and base.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and two Anbu Guards raided Orochimaru's laboratory, where Orochimaru admitted he was researching immortality and seeking to master every ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru killed the two Anbu Guards, rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi, and escaped through an underground passage, severing his ties with Konoha.
• Uchiha Yoru, Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy confronted Orochimaru in the forest as he accused Konoha's leaders of treating him like White Fang.
• A python carrying an Explosive Tag detonated beside Orochimaru, wounding him; Orochimaru realized Hiruzen Sarutobi had set the trap.

Orochimaru escaped after Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Anbu to pursue him, while Konoha erupted into alarm over the public announcement. In the Hokage Office, Danzo refused to accept blame and accused the Sarutobi Clan and Hiruzen of causing the crisis.

• Orochimaru used a Mud Clone to escape, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Anbu to pursue him.
• Uchiha Yoru sent Shisui, Kakashi, and Might Guy to protect the children in the Prison and gather the Seventh Division.
• Anbu Message Hawks spread the pursuit order across Konoha, and Hiruzen Sarutobi realized the news had become public.
• Sarutobi Clan elders urged Sarutobi Hizuki to press ahead with their campaign against Orochimaru, while the Third Hokage's Daughter-in-law had used her Anbu authority to notify the village.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura accused Danzo of escalating the crisis, but Danzo insisted Root had not sent the Message Hawks.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo in the Hokage Office, and Danzo denied responsibility, blamed the Sarutobi Clan, and protested that Hiruzen had approved the plan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Konoha to pursue Orochimaru after his defection, while the village’s political factions spread rumors that deepened the crisis. In the forest, Uchiha Yoru gave Orochimaru a newly developed escape technique and prepared to face Jiraiya as Orochimaru and Jiraiya began a clash.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Orochimaru had attacked Anbu and defected, then ordered Anbu and Root to hunt him across the Land of Fire.
• Shimura Danzō blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi and privately saw Orochimaru’s defection as a chance to undermine the Sarutobi Clan.
• The Sarutobi Clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans helped spread rumors about Orochimaru, and Konoha’s leaders lost control of public opinion.
• Uchiha Yoru caught up with the wounded Orochimaru in a forest, where Jiraiya confronted his former companion and asked him to reconsider.
• Uchiha Yoru gave Orochimaru a scroll containing the Great Snake Substitute Technique and offered to hold Jiraiya back while Orochimaru escaped.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya formed the same hand seals and struck the ground as Uchiha Yoru prepared to fight Jiraiya.

Uchiha Yoru battled Jiraiya and Gamabunta while Orochimaru escaped, then accused Jiraiya of helping force Orochimaru out of Konoha. Jiraiya began to suspect that the Third Hokage had concealed the real reasons behind Orochimaru’s persecution.

• Orochimaru summoned Manda and left behind a Mud Clone as Uchiha Yoru faced Jiraiya and Gamabunta.
• Yoru attacked with a massive Fire Style technique, but Gamabunta countered with water before he and Manda clashed.
• Jiraiya and Gamabunta used Toad Oil Flame Bullet to burn Manda, while Yoru used lightning-enhanced swordsmanship to engage Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya and Yoru collided with their Rasengan, then Yoru accused him of colluding to drive Orochimaru from the village.
• Yoru blamed the conflict on Orochimaru’s Wood Release and Forbidden Techniques research and his bid to become Fifth Hokage, prompting Jiraiya to suspect the Third Hokage had misled him.

Uchiha Yoru fought Jiraiya outside Konoha while Manda battled Gamabunta, using his Cursed Seal to strengthen his attacks. Jiraiya summoned Gama Ken to aid Gamabunta, and Yoru launched Gamabunta’s sword toward Gama Ken as Manda refused to dodge.

• Uchiha Yoru rejected Jiraiya’s offer to bring Orochimaru back to Konoha and accused the village of betraying Orochimaru and White Fang.
• Jiraiya’s Flame Bullet struck Yoru’s Earth Flow Wall, but Yoru used explosive tags and burning debris to force Jiraiya to defend himself with Needle Jizo.
• Uchiha Yoru activated Curse Mark of Heaven: Stage One and pierced Jiraiya’s earthen defense with Chidori, but Jiraiya dodged the attack.
• Jiraiya summoned Gama Ken after Yoru’s Shadow Clone Shuriken attack, then sent him to help Gamabunta, who was being strangled by Manda.
• Manda ignored Yoru’s warning as Gama Ken attacked, so Yoru kicked Gamabunta’s giant sword toward Gama Ken’s back.

Uchiha Yoru battled Jiraiya and his toad summons, then used the storm overhead to prepare his Lightning Style: Kirin. He told Jiraiya that Orochimaru’s research had been tied to village orders and Root’s human experiments, leaving Jiraiya shocked as the lightning gathered.

• Uchiha Yoru trapped Gamabunta in a swamp and attacked him with five fire dragons, but Jiraiya and Gamabunta countered with Toad Oil Flame Bullet.
• Uchiha Yoru and Manda combined water and fire to block Jiraiya’s attack while arriving Konoha Ninja watched the battlefield.
• Jiraiya recognized Uchiha Yoru’s strength and asked him to explain what had happened to Orochimaru.
• Uchiha Yoru revealed his lightning technique as storm clouds gathered, and Jiraiya realized he had underestimated him.
• Uchiha Yoru told Jiraiya that Orochimaru had developed a Wood Release ninja under village orders, that Root had experimented on villagers, and that Orochimaru had secretly imprisoned them.
• Uchiha Yoru added that he had reported Root’s actions to the Third and suggested that people in the village wanted Orochimaru gone as lightning gathered overhead.

Uchiha Yoru unleashed Kirin against Jiraiya, then used his authority in the Konoha Military Police Force to halt the pursuit and arrest Sarutobi Kawa. As the group returned to Konoha, Yoru secretly told Jiraiya he had found evidence that could prove Orochimaru’s innocence.

• Uchiha Yoru gathered the lightning in the storm clouds and struck the battlefield with Kirin, while Jiraiya survived by summoning the Stomach of the Rock-Dwelling Giant Toad.
• Uchiha Yoru threatened Sarutobi Kawa with the Kusanagi Sword and accused him of spreading rumors that Orochimaru had defected.
• Uchiha Yoru invoked orders from the Root Deputy Commander, and Jiraiya admitted guilt for obstructing Orochimaru’s confidential mission.
• Uchiha Yoru ordered the pursuit force to return to Konoha, and Sarutobi Kawa submitted to arrest.
• Uchiha Yoru privately told Jiraiya that intelligence he found in a gift sent to the Sarutobi Clan could prove Orochimaru’s innocence, prompting Jiraiya to secretly form hand seals.

Uchiha Yoru protected Orochimaru’s followers and brought Jiraiya evidence that Root had taken missing villagers, forcing Jiraiya to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō. Orochimaru severed his ties with Konoha, while Jiraiya chose to stay with the Seventh Police Division to protect its members.

• Uchiha Yoru ordered the Seventh Police Division to protect village ninja and children, then showed Jiraiya the missing people held in the prison.
• Jiraiya confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō with evidence that Orochimaru had kept Root’s captives in the prison and had sent Hiruzen a warning about the experiments.
• An Anbu reported that protests were gathering and that Orochimaru had been spotted outside the village; Orochimaru then sent back a slashed Konoha forehead protector, declaring his break with Konoha.
• Anbu took the missing Konoha personnel from the prison, and Uchiha Yoru accused Jiraiya of burying Orochimaru’s last hope by taking the evidence.
• Jiraiya chose to remain with the Seventh Police Division to protect Orochimaru’s followers from persecution.

After Orochimaru was expelled from Konoha, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Yoru, and Hatake Kakashi awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan amid growing doubts about the village’s leadership. As a high-level meeting was called, Yoru prepared for the backlash against Orochimaru’s followers and entrusted the Uchiha to Shisui.

• Konoha classified Orochimaru as an S-Class Dangerous Ninja, barred him from returning without authorization, and concealed the details of his expulsion.
• Uchiha Itachi awakened his One Tomoe Sharingan after questioning why the village had punished Orochimaru, while Uchiha Yoru, Shisui, and Kakashi discussed the injustice and the Will of Fire.
• Kakashi suggested that the Third had kept power for himself, and Yoru struck him and warned him not to question the Hokage without proof.
• Shisui declared that he would become Hokage and change the village, and Shisui, Yoru, and Kakashi awakened four Mangekyo Sharingan eyes as Itachi’s Sharingan began to develop a second Tomoe.
• Yoru told Shisui to let the Seventh Division members leave if they wished, promised to protect those who stayed, and entrusted the Uchiha to Shisui as a message hawk summoned Konoha’s Jōnin to a high-level meeting.

Konoha’s senior shinobi met to address Orochimaru’s expulsion and the turmoil it caused. Uchiha Yoru challenged Danzo’s accusations with evidence of Root’s orders and debts, then faced the Third Hokage’s request to calm Orochimaru’s supporters at the Land of Water front line.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Ume Sarutobi’s execution and demoted Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, while the advisers and several clans argued that Ume should be spared for her combat strength.
• Shimura Danzō accused Uchiha Yoru’s Seventh Division of unresolved misconduct, and Yoru replied that the division had acted under Root’s orders.
• Uchiha Yoru presented records showing the Seventh Division had assisted Root and IOUs showing that Danzō had borrowed research funds from the major clans.
• The Aburame clan head and other clan leaders confirmed the debts, and Mitokado Homura said the village would repay them once it stabilized.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Uchiha Yoru to visit and reassure the shinobi stationed at the Land of Water front line in the Seventh Division’s name.

Uchiha Yoru accepted the Hokage leadership’s decision to confine him while the other nations exploited Orochimaru’s expulsion to destabilize Konoha. The chapter ended with Yoru revealed as the one leaking front-line deployments, using the turmoil to rebuild Orochimaru’s faction from within Konoha.

• The Third praised Uchiha Yoru for preventing escalation, confined him to the Seventh Division and the Prison, and offered him rewards; Jiraiya publicly supported Yoru and stayed with his division.
• The Fourth Raikage ordered the Intelligence Department to prioritize reports from its Konoha mole, while the Fourth Mizukage advanced plans to occupy the former Land of Whirlpools.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to spread rumors, provoke border incidents, and mobilize troops; Rasa ordered Sunagakure to stir up conflict while accelerating peace talks with Kirigakure.
• News of Orochimaru’s expulsion spread, and minor nations and the Five Great Nations launched provocations that plunged the Shinobi World into renewed turmoil.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other Konoha leaders searched for a traitor and rejected Danzō’s suspicion that Orochimaru had leaked the deployments.
• Uchiha Yoru secretly enjoyed the chaos, having memorized Orochimaru’s front-line plans and leaked them while his confinement kept suspicion away from him.

After Orochimaru’s downfall, Uchiha Yoru stayed under watch at the Seventh Division while claiming he would become Hokage and welcome his teacher home. Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to send Yoru to the tense front line near the Land of Whirlpools, while Yūhi Kurenai agreed to report on Yoru’s movements, unaware that Yoru planned to use the assignment to inherit Orochimaru’s influence and build his own power.

• Uzuki Yugao gave Uchiha Yoru lists of the Seventh Division personnel who had left, and he urged her to keep training after she chose to stay.
• Uchiha Yoru told Uzuki Yugao he would become Hokage and welcome Konoha’s hero home, leading her to question the village’s judgment of Orochimaru.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisers discussed rising border tensions, rogue ninjas, and Kirigakure’s move toward the Land of Whirlpools.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to send Uchiha Yoru to the front line, despite concerns that Orochimaru’s followers might rally behind him.
• Yūhi Kurenai promised Hiruzen Sarutobi she would report Uchiha Yoru’s movements, torn between her loyalty to the village and her connection to Yoru.
• Uchiha Yoru privately planned to inherit Orochimaru’s legacy and build political strength, seeing the front-line assignment as a chance to stabilize Konoha and gain influence.

Uzuki Yugao chose to remain a spy while Uchiha Yoru openly took in the Hyuga Branch Family and trained her amid rising tensions across the Shinobi World. The chapter ended with Jiraiya discovering Yoru’s relationship with Yugao and being startled when Yoru called her his lover.

• Uzuki Yugao rejected the Third’s offer of a new identity and continued reporting on Uchiha Yoru, while withholding what she knew about Orochimaru’s incident.
• Uchiha Yoru offered the Seventh Division’s protection to Hizashi Hyuga, and Hizashi pledged the Hyuga Branch Family’s loyalty.
• As border unrest grew, Uchiha Yoru sparred with Uzuki Yugao, taught her Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Crescent Moon Dance, and promised to teach her an Ultimate Technique-level ninjutsu.
• Uchiha Yoru comforted Uzuki Yugao and explained that Orochimaru’s departure could lead to border conflicts and localized wars.
• Jiraiya appeared on the balcony, recognized Uzuki Yugao as a spy, and was stunned when Uchiha Yoru openly called her his lover.