Chapter Summaries

Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaka raided a mountain stronghold, killed the bandits, and rescued their captives. A masked man covered in stitches appeared, overwhelmed the three with his presence, and faced Choza Akimichi’s attack.

• Choza Akimichi enlarged himself and crushed bandits while Shikaku Nara used his shadow techniques to immobilize and kill others.
• Inoichi Yamanaka disrupted the bandits’ minds, causing archers to shoot their own companions, while the Chieftain fled with a scroll.
• Choza Akimichi and his teammates finished off the remaining bandits, then freed the imprisoned women and children.
• A masked man covered in stitching marks appeared and intimidated the three ninja as they questioned the rescued captives.
• Shikaku Nara told Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi to bite their tongues to overcome their fear, and Choza launched his Needle Human Bullet Tank attack.

Watanabe Yūske rescued Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka from Kakuzu after their mission went disastrously wrong. He sent his injured students back to the village with Sarutobi and Monkey Doctor, leaving himself to face Kakuzu alone.

• Choza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara attacked Kakuzu, but Kakuzu emerged unharmed and revealed that physical attacks could not hurt him.
• Inoichi Yamanaka used the Mind Body Switch Technique on Kakuzu and collapsed in agony, while Kakuzu threatened the Konoha ninja over the destruction of his base.
• Kakuzu unleashed a fire attack, but Watanabe Yūske blocked it with the String-String Fruit and revealed that he had secretly followed his students.
• Kakuzu identified Watanabe Yūske from his bounty notebook and prepared to fight him.
• Watanabe Yūske summoned Sarutobi and Monkey Doctor, then ordered them to treat and escort his students back to the village.
• Sarutobi carried the students away while Kakuzu stayed behind to face Watanabe Yūske.

Yūske fought Kakuzu at the mountain stronghold, using Lightning-nature threads and explosive tags to destroy two of Kakuzu’s hearts. Kakuzu acknowledged Yūske’s strength and then launched a water-and-lightning counterattack with his remaining masked creatures.

• Yūske dodged Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear attacks and fought back with his threads, but Kakuzu’s hardened body resisted them.
• Yūske infused his threads with Lightning-nature chakra, shocking Kakuzu and knocking him down.
• Yūske attached Explosive Tags to his threads, multiplied them across the stronghold, and escaped into the air before they detonated.
• Kakuzu emerged burned and unsteady with two masked Earth Grudge Fear creatures, revealing that he had lost two hearts.
• Kakuzu told Yūske that he had once fought Hashirama Senju, then his Water Style and Lightning Style creatures attacked Yūske.

Yūske survived his battle with Kakuzu, who retreated after his attacks failed to defeat him. Tsunade and Sarutobi found Yūske resting among the ruins, treated him, and escorted him back to Konoha.

• Sarutobi brought Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi to Konoha, while Shikaku reported the battle to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade hurried toward the mountain stronghold with several jonin.
• Yūske defended himself against Kakuzu’s Compound Ninjutsu, but water conducted the electricity through his thread barrier and left him numb.
• Kakuzu retreated to replenish his hearts, and Yūske rested in the ruins after confirming the enemy had gone.
• Tsunade treated Yūske when she and Sarutobi found him, and Sarutobi carried him back toward the village.

Yūske returned to Konoha and told Hiruzen Sarutobi about his battle with the mysterious Kakuzu, prompting Hiruzen to investigate the First Hokage’s old enemies. Yūske then visited the hospitalized Inoichi Yamanaka and urged Shikaku Nara and the others to train while Inoichi recovered.

• Yūske returned to Konoha with Tsunade and described Kakuzu’s unusual survival and masked companion to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned an Anbu to fetch Danzo and considered searching the First Hokage’s records for information about Kakuzu.
• Yūske accompanied Tsunade to Konoha Hospital and learned that Inoichi Yamanaka remained unconscious but was no longer in danger.
• Shikaku Nara asked about the ninja who had attacked them, and Yūske said Kakuzu had escaped after fighting him all night.
• Yūske told Shikaku Nara and the others to train on their own and return to the team after Inoichi recovered.

After Yūske saved Inoichi and the other children, Yamanaka Yūji thanked him and invited him to the three clans’ leaders’ inauguration ceremony. Yūske visited Tsunade, where their tender reunion led to their first kiss, though she stopped his wandering hand.

• Yamanaka Yūji thanked Yūske for protecting the children and bringing the injured back to the village.
• Yamanaka Yūji invited Yūske to the three clans’ inauguration ceremony one week later, and Yūske agreed to attend.
• Yūske found Tsunade asleep in her office and began massaging her shoulders.
• Yūske embraced Tsunade and thanked her, then promised he would protect her from anyone who threatened her.
• Yūske and Tsunade shared their first kiss, but Tsunade slapped away his wandering hand, and Yūske apologized.

Yūske attended the joint clan-head inauguration ceremony at the Akimichi Clan grounds with Tsunade and Kurenai Yūhi. He spoke privately with Uchiha Fugaku about the Uchiha Clan’s isolation and, after socializing with Konoha’s leaders, came to the attention of the village’s upper echelon.

• Yūske met Kurenai Yūhi and his family on the way to pick up Tsunade, then traveled with them to the Akimichi Clan grounds.
• Torifu Akimichi welcomed Yūske, Tsunade, and Kurenai Yūhi, while Choza Akimichi secretly laughed at Yūske.
• Uchiha Fugaku introduced Yūske to Uchiha Yakumi and said that few people in the village were willing to befriend the Uchiha Clan.
• Yūske invited Fugaku to talk somewhere quiet after the ceremony, and Fugaku agreed.
• After Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived, Torifu Akimichi presided over the inauguration ceremony, and Hiruzen called Yūske and Tsunade over to toast Konoha’s leaders and clan heads.
• Yūske met several influential people while making the rounds, and the ceremony gradually drew to a close.

Yūske spoke with his disciples before Tsunade brought him to the Senju Clan Compound to discuss Uchiha Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan and Yūske’s trust in the Uchiha. After spending the evening with Tsunade, Yūske went to the secret house Fugaku had given him and found Uchiha En guarding its entrance.

• Shikaku Nara and the others greeted Yūske, who urged Inoichi Yamanaka to rest and recover.
• Tsunade questioned Yūske about his relationship with the Uchiha, and he explained that Fugaku had placed his trust in him and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Tsunade took Yūske to the Senju Clan Compound, where they discussed whether he trusted Fugaku and what kind of people the Uchiha were.
• Yūske asked Tsunade for information about the Uchiha Clan, and she agreed to bring him some.
• Yūske made dinner for Tsunade, spent the evening with her, then went to Fugaku’s secret house and found Uchiha En standing guard.

Uchiha Fugaku told Yūske that trusted Dove Faction members had disappeared and pushed to seize power at the next clan meeting. Yūske suspected Shimura Danzō, while Fugaku revealed that his Mangekyō Sharingan showed his planned coup ending in failure and Yūske warned that continued use might blind him.

• Uchiha En brought Yūske to meet Uchiha Fugaku and other Uchiha clansmen.
• Uchiha Fugaku said several trusted Jonin and Chunin from the Dove Faction had disappeared, and he suspected outsiders were involved.
• Uchiha Fugaku urged Yūske to help him seize power at the next clan meeting, but Yūske argued they should investigate the disappearances first.
• Yūske named Shimura Danzō as his suspect and suggested Danzō might covet the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
• Uchiha Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan could see outcomes and that each vision of the planned coup ended in failure.
• Yūske warned Uchiha Fugaku that repeatedly using his eyes might make him go blind, and Fugaku asked how he knew.

Yūske advised Uchiha Fugaku on how to respond to the Uchiha clan’s missing members and improve the clan’s standing with the Third Hokage. Fugaku accepted the plan, while Yūske left him to consider how to break the deadlock.

• Fugaku questioned how Yūske knew about the Sharingan records, and Yūske said Tsunade had obtained them for him.
• Fugaku sent the other Uchiha clansmen outside, then asked Yūske what he should do about the missing clan members.
• Yūske advised Fugaku to publicize the disappearances, prompting the Third Hokage to help search and deterring those with ill intentions.
• Yūske urged Fugaku to pledge loyalty to the Third Hokage, report the clan’s situation, and provide a list of hawkish leaders to remove.
• Fugaku reaffirmed his oath to Yūske, and Yūske told him to think over the plan and reassure En and the others before leaving.

Shimura Danzō denied leaving evidence after Root’s operation, while Uchiha Hikō warned him that the Third Hokage was investigating the Uchiha members’ disappearance. At a gathering with Yūske and his allies, they discussed a plan to navigate the Uchiha Clan’s crisis and the investigation into a possible coup.

• Shimura Danzō had a subordinate remove the rejecting Sharingan before meeting Uchiha Hikō, who reported that the Third Hokage had ordered an investigation into Uchiha Na and the others’ disappearance.
• Uchiha Hikō suspected Uchiha Fugaku had spread news of the disappearance, and Shimura Danzō insisted Root had left no evidence while considering how to distance himself from the matter.
• Yūske hosted the former jonin escort squad and their disciples at the Inuzuka Clan Grounds, where Minato and the others lamented Jiraiya’s long absence.
• After the younger shinobi went out to train, Yūske and the adults discussed Uchiha Fugaku’s approval of Yūske’s plan and the danger of the Uchiha Clan’s coup plans.
• Kurenai Yūhi said the Anbu investigation had made little progress, while Yūske said he would wait to see whether the Uchiha Clan survived the crisis before counting on Fugaku’s support.

Yūske told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Uchiha Fugaku had approached him over conflicts within the Uchiha Clan, and Hiruzen suspected Root was behind the missing Uchiha jonin. Fugaku later met Hiruzen with Yūske, revealed a planned coup by the Hawk Faction, and gave him a list of its members.

• Yūske told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he had met Uchiha Fugaku through Uchiha En and that Fugaku wanted help with problems inside the Uchiha Clan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Yūske to seek out Fugaku quietly and contact him if anything came up.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed the intelligence and suspected Shimura Danzō's Root was involved in the incident.
• Yūske brought Uchiha Fugaku to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi, where Fugaku explained that he had tested Yūske's trustworthiness.
• Uchiha Fugaku gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a scroll listing members of the Hawk Faction and disclosed their planned coup.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Yūske and Fugaku to devise a solution for the Hawk Faction and report it to him for approval.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Shimura Danzō over his secret killings of Uchiha shinobi and his plans against the clan. Danzō implicated Orochimaru, and Hiruzen stripped Danzō of his duties and confined him to the Shimura compound.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi accused Shimura Danzō of provoking conflict with the Uchiha, while Danzō insisted the clan was a threat and denied causing Kagami's disappearance.
• Hiruzen demanded the captured Uchiha shinobi be released, but Danzō said they were already dead and directed him to ask Orochimaru about their bodies.
• Hiruzen ordered the Anbu out of his office and questioned Danzō about Orochimaru's involvement.
• Danzō criticized Hiruzen for neglecting his other disciples in favor of Yūske, and Hiruzen suspended Danzō as Hokage Assistant, merged Root into the Anbu, and confined him to the Shimura Clan compound.
• Danzō left in anger, while Hiruzen remained alone and arranged for the office to be cleaned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi approved Yūske and Uchiha Fugaku’s plan and assigned Kurenai Yūhi to support the operation. Yūske learned Tsunade’s Yin Seal to improve his endurance, then stayed at the hospital to tease her and ponder using her gambling luck to judge mission danger.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Yūske Fugaku’s list and confirmed that he would seal off the Uchiha Clan Compound during the operation.
• Yūske went to Konoha Hospital and asked Tsunade for a sealing technique to help him fight for longer.
• Tsunade taught Yūske the Yin Seal, and he formed its diamond-shaped mark on his forehead.
• Yūske asked whether he could move the mark, but Tsunade refused and privately liked his new appearance.
• Yūske realized Tsunade’s gambling results might reveal how dangerous a mission would be, then kissed her as she returned to work.

Uchiha Fugaku and Yūske prepared for an operation to resolve the Uchiha Clan’s internal conflict, with Fugaku’s clan set to act first and outside operatives ready to intervene. After warning Fugaku to keep his Mangekyō Sharingan secret, Yūske left to report the plan to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

• Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the secret stronghold with several clansmen and struggled with the approaching operation.
• Yūske reminded Fugaku that Shimura Danzō could regain power and urged him to follow through with the plan.
• Yūske outlined how Fugaku’s clan would begin the operation, how the other operatives would enter the compound, and how they should respond to interference and resistance.
• Yūske told Fugaku to use a smashed cup as the signal for assistance and warned him that revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan could provoke resentment and attempts to seize it.
• Yūske left the stronghold and reported the situation to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Uchiha Fugaku faced accusations at the clan meeting for involving the Third Hokage in the search for missing Uchiha, while his father and the elders debated his fitness to succeed as Clan Head. Fugaku then announced that the clan had recovered several missing companions’ bodies and that one of their killers was present.

• Uchiha Fugaku’s father opened the clan meeting, and the Fifth Elder demanded pressure on the Third Hokage over Uchiha Na’s disappearance.
• The Clan Head criticized the clan for relying on the Hokage, while Fugaku tried to stop his father from insulting him.
• Uchiha Hikō and the Second Elder accused Fugaku of betraying the clan’s honor by leaking information about the missing clansmen.
• Fugaku admitted that he had asked Yūske to report the matter to the Third Hokage and argued that Uchiha lives mattered more than honor.
• The Third Elder proposed stripping Fugaku of his successor status, but the Clan Head deferred the decision to the elders.
• Fugaku announced that the clan had recovered several missing companions’ bodies and that one person involved in their murders was present.

At the Uchiha Clan meeting, Fugaku exposed Hikō’s alleged ties to Root and revealed that Third Elder and others had plotted a coup, leading the clan to split into opposing sides. As both factions prepared to fight, Fugaku smashed a cup on Yūske’s instruction, signaling that the confrontation was about to begin.

• Fugaku accused Hikō of murder and presented evidence linking him to Root, prompting the elders and clan members to turn against Hikō.
• Fugaku’s father and the hawkish elders challenged Fugaku, and both sides drew weapons as Fugaku refused to back down.
• Fugaku told the clan that Third Elder and the others had plotted a coup and that the Hokage had agreed to let the Uchiha purge the conspirators rather than send Konoha forces.
• Members of the clan surrounded Second Elder, Third Elder, and Sixth Elder and urged them to surrender peacefully.
• Fugaku smashed the cup Yūske had told him to use as a signal.

Yūske and the Anbu helped Uchiha Fugaku suppress the hawkish faction at the Uchiha meeting, while the fleeing elders were captured behind Yūske’s barrier. The Clan Head and First Elder remained inside the shrine, where Yūske sent Fugaku in to face them.

• Kurenai Yūhi led the Anbu in surrounding the meeting, and Yūske knocked down the Second Elder when he tried to rally the clan against them.
• Yūske signaled Fugaku’s supporters to attack, and Uchiha clansmen joined the battle against the hawkish faction.
• The faction’s leaders fled in different directions, but Yūske stayed by the shrine as Anbu pursued them past his barrier.
• Kurenai Yūhi trapped Uchiha Hikō with Absolute Lotus, and the Anbu sealed his chakra before taking him back.
• The Uchiha clansmen and Anbu subdued the resisting elders, while Fugaku’s father and the First Elder remained inside the shrine.
• Yūske entered the shrine doorway with Fugaku, then gestured for him to go inside where the Clan Head and First Elder were kneeling.

Uchiha Fugaku’s father accepted that Fugaku should lead the clan, while the First Elder questioned Yūske about his motives for intervening. The First Elder agreed to support the decision, and the Clan Head and Fugaku went out to calm the Uchiha.

• The Clan Head asked Fugaku whether he could lead the Uchiha toward acceptance in Konoha, and Fugaku reaffirmed his lifelong goal.
• The First Elder privately questioned Yūske about helping Fugaku, and Yūske said he wanted to become the Fourth Hokage and resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.
• The First Elder agreed that Fugaku could decide the clan’s future and said the Uchiha would give Yūske their friendship.
• Fugaku sent trusted clansmen to escort the First Elder away, and Yūske dispelled Bird Cage.
• The Clan Head and Fugaku left the shrine to calm the Uchiha clansmen who did not know what had happened.

After the coup attempt was crushed, Fugaku was chosen as the next Uchiha Clan Head, and Yūske was appointed an Anbu squad captain to oversee the clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi then questioned Yūske’s intentions toward the Uchiha and warned him of the clan’s Mangekyō Sharingan power.

• The Clan Head told the Uchiha Clan members that the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Sixth Elder had attempted a coup and that Fugaku and Yūske had helped the Anbu arrest them.
• The Clan Head resigned and announced that the Elders had recommended Fugaku as the next Clan Head, while Yūske handed the captured conspirators over to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Yūske advised Hiruzen Sarutobi to warn and soothe nonparticipants while monitoring them temporarily, and Hiruzen appointed him an Anbu squad captain to oversee the Uchiha Clan.
• After Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu left, Hiruzen asked Yūske about his intentions toward the Uchiha Clan and explained that its true strength lay in the Mangekyō Sharingan, awakened by Uchiha Madara.