Chapter Summaries

Kazuna rejected the Uchiha Clan’s plan to seize the Hokage position by force and urged them to grow strong enough that Konohagakure’s clans would beg them to take it. Meanwhile, rumors spread across the village accusing Danzo and the elders of harming famous shinobi and avoiding the battlefield, leaving Danzo’s allies frightened of him.

• Setsuna challenged Kazuna after he declared that the Uchiha Clan would not pursue the Hokage position on its own initiative.
• Kazuna told the Uchiha Jonin that the Sarutobi Clan secretly had over three thousand shinobi, alarming them with the scale of their rivals’ strength.
• Kazuna argued that Konohagakure rejected an Uchiha Hokage and called on the clan to become powerful enough that other clans would beg them to accept the position.
• Shiraha and the Uchiha Jonin enthusiastically rallied behind Kazuna’s plan, and the clan returned to its usual routine after the meeting.
• Rumors spread blaming Danzo for the deaths and misfortunes of Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi, Sakumo Hatake, and Orochimaru, while questioning the elders’ absence from battle.
• Danzo noticed that people avoided him, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura reacted fearfully when they encountered him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders discussed the Uchiha threat and chose Torifu Akimichi as Acting Hokage while they waited for a stronger candidate. Kazuna ordered the Uchiha to intensify pressure on Hiruzen, then headed to the Forest of Death to strengthen his Dojutsu, where an arm suddenly emerged from the ground and struck at him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi shared Itachi's report on Kazuna's speech and ordered Danzo not to target the Uchiha again.
• The elders examined Danzo for genjutsu, confirmed he was unaffected, and considered candidates for Fifth Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi settled on Kakashi as his preferred candidate, but Utatane Koharu proposed Torifu Akimichi as Acting Hokage until a suitable successor emerged.
• Shikaku Nara told Torifu Akimichi that Ino-Shika-Cho had partnered with Kazuna and the Uchiha to benefit from the village's upheaval.
• Kazuna ordered the Uchiha to spread more rumors against Hiruzen Sarutobi, then went to the Forest of Death after his Dojutsu fruit reached level five.
• As Kazuna pondered the village's instability, an arm rose from the ground and struck toward his back.

Kazuna battled Obito in the Death Forest, drove him off with a devastating attack, and left Konoha’s leaders confronting the damage and the village’s divided factions. Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Torifu Akimichi Acting Hokage, while Shikaku Nara prepared to carry out their plan with invited guests.

• Kazuna used Susanoo to attack Obito repeatedly, then blasted him with a powerful crimson sphere that left Obito badly wounded.
• Obito and Kazuna argued over their partnership before Obito fled as Konoha’s ninja approached.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered an investigation and stronger village patrols, then decided to appoint an Acting Hokage because his authority had weakened.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi persuaded Torifu Akimichi to serve as Acting Hokage, though Torifu insisted the role remain temporary.
• Shikaku Nara questioned Torifu about his connection to Kazuna, then said he had invited guests to help carry out their plan.

Kazuna reignited rumors accusing Hiruzen Sarutobi of eliminating rivals to keep power, driving Konohagakure into a fearful silence and forcing Hiruzen to consider appointing an acting Fifth Hokage. Hiruzen called a Jonin meeting and summoned Kakashi, while Danzo demanded to know why Hiruzen had never considered him for the position.

• Kazuna learned the village rumors had faded and deliberately spread new ones blaming Hiruzen Sarutobi for the deaths of Kagami Uchiha, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato Namikaze.
• The accusations spread through Konohagakure, prompting villagers to question Hiruzen’s long hold on power and connect him to other past deaths, including Nawaki Senju’s.
• The crowd around the Hokage Building dispersed, but the villagers’ silence alarmed Hiruzen and his advisers.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen to appoint Torifu Akimichi as acting Fifth Hokage, and Hiruzen agreed before ordering a Jonin meeting and summoning Kakashi.
• Hiruzen explained that he intended to put Kakashi forward after his plans for Asuma fell apart, and Danzo asked why Hiruzen had never considered him.

Kazuna overwhelmed Fugaku, Itachi, and Shisui with his newly powerful eyes, then revealed that the Rinnegan stood beyond the Mangekyo Sharingan. As the Uchiha headed to a village-wide Jonin meeting, Kakashi confronted Kazuna over Sakumo Hatake’s legacy, and the two prepared to fight.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi resented Danzo for ruining Asuma’s path to the Hokage position and resolved to wait for a chance at the Sixth Hokage succession.
• Kazuna’s Mangekyo subdued Fugaku, Itachi, and Shisui, and he told Fugaku that the Rinnegan was a higher-level Dojutsu once attained by Madara Uchiha.
• A messenger summoned the village Jonin to a meeting, and Kazuna suspected Shikaku Nara had helped orchestrate the rumors against Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō.
• Kakashi Hatake stopped Kazuna outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds and warned him not to drag Sakumo Hatake into his conflict with the Hokage.
• Kazuna challenged Kakashi about his grief over his father’s suicide, and Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and gathered lightning for Chidori as Kazuna formed hand seals.

Kazuna defeated Kakashi and challenged his belief that Danzo alone was responsible for Sakumo Hatake’s death. He argued that Hiruzen had deliberately allowed Sakumo to die to protect Konohagakure’s mission-first rules, leaving Kakashi shaken and questioning what he had been told.

• Kazuna trapped Kakashi in a genjutsu and paralyzed him after countering his attacks.
• Kakashi explained that Hiruzen had told him Danzo smeared Sakumo to disqualify him from becoming Hokage, while Sakumo’s suicide had been an unintended consequence.
• Kazuna argued that Hiruzen wanted Sakumo dead because Sakumo’s choice to save his comrades challenged Konohagakure’s rule that missions came first.
• Kakashi questioned whether Kazuna’s claim proved that Hiruzen had driven Sakumo to his death.

Kazuna exposed his suspicions about Hiruzen Sarutobi’s role in the deaths of Kakashi’s father and other Hokage candidates, then took Kakashi and Hayate Gekko captive. After letting Kakashi leave with a replacement Sharingan, Kazuna questioned Uzuki Yugao and considered what to do with Hayate.

• Kazuna argued that Hiruzen Sarutobi had allowed Sakumo Hatake to die and linked the deaths of Sakumo, Nawaki Senju, Dan Katō, Minato Namikaze, and Orochimaru to succession for the Hokage position, leaving Kakashi shaken and hostile toward the Hokage.
• Kazuna knocked Kakashi unconscious, ambushed Hayate Gekko when he appeared looking for Uzuki Yugao, and carried both men away.
• Kakashi woke in an ordinary-looking room, believed Kazuna had treated his injuries, and left; Kazuna revealed that he had replaced Kakashi’s Sharingan with another eye and kept the original Kamui Sharingan.
• Kazuna visited Uzuki Yugao in his secret chamber and questioned her about serving Root, but she refused to betray Hokage-sama.
• After Kazuna left Yugao, two Uchiha asked what to do with Hayate, whom Kazuna had captured to learn his swordsmanship.

Kazuna arrived late to the Jonin meeting and unexpectedly entered the selection for Fifth Hokage, turning Hiruzen Sarutobi’s plan into a contested vote. The candidates included Kazuna, Shimura Danzō, Torifu Akimichi, and Kakashi Hatake, and the first announced result placed Danzō last with one vote.

• Kazuna made the Jonin wait, then strode into the meeting while listening to music and greeted them irreverently.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the meeting to discuss the Fifth Hokage, and Kazuna volunteered as a candidate.
• Shimura Danzō and Torifu Akimichi also entered the selection, while Hiruzen Sarutobi added the absent Kakashi Hatake as a candidate.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi moved the meeting to voting before the rest of the Uchiha Jonin arrived, and Kazuna objected that the vote was unfair.
• The Konoha F4 announced the results, placing Shimura Danzō last with only one vote.

The Jonin election unexpectedly put Uchiha Kazuna far ahead of the other candidates, leaving him and the village’s factions stunned. As Hiruzen Sarutobi pressured Kazuna to step aside, Kazuna instead joked that his greatest weakness was being too handsome.

• Danzō was eliminated in the first round, and Kazuna and Torifu Akimichi mocked him until Hiruzen Sarutobi called for order.
• Kakashi Hatake was eliminated with thirteen votes, while Torifu Akimichi received only eighteen, revealing that Kazuna had won more than sixty votes.
• Shikaku Nara realized Torifu Akimichi’s age had made him a poor Hokage candidate, while Choza Akimichi explained why the Jonin favored Kazuna.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi pressured Kazuna to back down, but Kazuna remained unfazed and joked that his weakness was being too handsome.

Uchiha Kazuna confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over the Uchiha being barred from producing a Hokage and demanded that Hiruzen leave office. The meeting ended with the factions facing off as Kazuna invoked Naruto Uzumaki’s mistreatment and challenged the village to answer for it.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi postponed the decision after the Jonin meeting, but Jiraiya sent the Jonin away and called for the meeting to resume the next day.
• Kazuna mocked Hiruzen and challenged his record, then calmly agreed to go to war when Hiruzen said the Uchiha could not produce a Hokage.
• Kazuna accused Danzō of cowardice and challenged the Sarutobi Clan’s strength, while Shikaku Nara tried to restrain him and seek a peaceful resolution.
• Kazuna demanded that Hiruzen step down, and the Uchiha, Hiruzen’s allies, and Ino-Shika-Cho took seats in a tense three-sided standoff.
• Kazuna cited Naruto Uzumaki’s suffering as evidence of Hiruzen’s coldness, leaving Jiraiya angry and the room confronted with Naruto’s identity as Minato’s son.

Uchiha Kazuna negotiated for Torifu Akimichi to become Acting Hokage and secured half of a vast supply list in exchange for keeping the Uchiha from taking the Hokage seat and bringing the clan members who had left back. After the deal, Hiruzen Sarutobi suspected Tsunade was connected to Kazuna and revealed that Kazuna’s Summoning Beast was the Slug.

• Kazuna demanded that Torifu Akimichi become Acting Hokage and presented Hiruzen Sarutobi with an enormous supply list, prompting a heated argument over its cost.
• Shikaku Nara negotiated the supply payment up to half the list and demanded the Uchiha who had left return, while Kazuna hinted that he had prepared an escape route for his clan and sent Mikoto and Sasuke away.
• Kazuna agreed to publicly decline the Hokage position, propose Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage, and have Torifu Akimichi serve as Acting Hokage until her return.
• After the others left, Hiruzen Sarutobi told the Konoha F4 to prepare for turmoil and refused to bring Tsunade back, saying he suspected she was connected to Kazuna.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Kazuna’s Summoning Beast was the Slug.

Jiraiya witnessed Naruto Uzumaki’s miserable treatment in Konohagakure and asked Uchiha Kazuna what he should do. Kazuna urged him to bring Tsunade back as Hokage, while revealing to Itachi and Shisui that he had arranged for the Hokage to learn about his connection to the Slug Sage.

• Jiraiya watched villagers curse and shun Naruto Uzumaki, then recalled the boy’s shabby home and the elders’ warnings about Danzo.
• Jiraiya asked Kazuna how to protect Naruto, and Kazuna proposed that he find Tsunade and persuade her to return as the Fifth Hokage.
• Jiraiya agreed to discuss Tsunade’s return with the Hokage, while Kazuna suggested the Uchiha would make concessions to support her.
• Kazuna told Itachi and Shisui that his Summoning Beast was the Slug and that he had informed Hiruzen Sarutobi in Itachi’s name.
• Kazuna suggested that Hiruzen might grow suspicious of Tsunade because of the Slug connection and Nawaki Senju’s death, then left to visit a young woman.

Jiraiya urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to make Tsunade the Fifth Hokage, but Hiruzen distrusted her ties to Uchiha Kazuna and refused to trust Kazuna’s intentions. Hiruzen announced Tsunade as the candidate anyway, angering the Jonin, while Shibi Aburame proposed finding her themselves and rival villages watched Konohagakure’s turmoil.

• Jiraiya recommended Tsunade for Fifth Hokage and said the Uchiha Clan would make concessions if she took office.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Jiraiya that Tsunade was in contact with Uchiha Kazuna and cited Kazuna’s Slug Summoning Beast as evidence of danger.
• Jiraiya challenged Hiruzen’s distrust, mentioned Naruto’s situation, and left the Hokage Building disappointed.
• At the Jonin meeting, Hiruzen announced Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage candidate and named Torifu Akimichi Acting Hokage until she returned.
• Shibi Aburame suggested that the Jonin find Tsunade themselves, while Kazuna watched the meeting and considered his next move.
• Other Shinobi Villages learned of Konohagakure’s unrest, and several Kage began considering how to weaken it.

Konoha’s outpost was attacked by disguised Kumogakure ninja, and Kazuna recognized Orochimaru behind the scheme. Kazuna confronted Orochimaru and fought him, but the chapter ended with Orochimaru’s apparent death exposed as a crude trick.

• A Special Jonin at a Konoha outpost detected masked attackers, but he and the other guards were killed after sending an alarm.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Uchiha to investigate, and Kazuna sent Tekka and Inabi with ten Jonin while he went to the outpost himself.
• Kiba led disguised Kumogakure ninja against the Uchiha team, and the two groups began fighting as Kazuna watched.
• Kazuna recognized the attackers as Kumogakure ninja and found Orochimaru waiting nearby; Orochimaru admitted he had helped provoke the conflict and challenged Kazuna.
• Kazuna fought Orochimaru with fire and skeletal Susanoo arms, apparently splitting Orochimaru in two before declaring that his death was a crude disguise.

Uchiha Kazuna fought Orochimaru while the Uchiha defeated a Kumogakure force, then exposed Orochimaru’s connection to the attack and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s past mercy. The chapter ended with the Uchiha carrying away their dead as Torifu Akimichi took office as acting representative of the Fifth Hokage and power began to shift in Konoha.

• Kazuna fought Orochimaru, survived his Kusanagi Sword and snake attacks, and forced Orochimaru to retreat after warning him about Living Corpse Reincarnation’s weakness to genjutsu.
• Tekka and the Uchiha pursued the retreating Kumogakure shinobi, while Kazuna arranged for ten Uchiha corpses, including Inabi’s, to be found; Tekka and another Jonin failed to awaken Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Fugaku Uchiha, and other Konoha shinobi arrived, and Kazuna said Kumogakure had attacked under Sunagakure disguises and that Orochimaru had ambushed the Uchiha.
• Kazuna revealed Orochimaru had said Hiruzen once allowed him to escape Konoha, turning the gathered shinobi against Hiruzen as Torifu Akimichi called for everyone to return to the village and took office as acting representative of the Fifth Hokage.
• The Uchiha took their dead with them, while the other shinobi collected the Kumogakure corpses and noticed that many bodies had become mummified.

At the Hokage’s office, Kazuna confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over Orochimaru’s attack and demanded the Lightning God Sword as compensation for the Uchiha losses. Torifu Akimichi granted his demands and heard Kazuna’s account of Kumogakure’s attempt to breach Konohagakure’s Barrier, leaving the meeting to consider the village’s motive.

• Torifu Akimichi took the Acting Hokage’s seat, and Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted he had let Orochimaru escape as Kazuna demanded an explanation for the deaths of twelve Uchiha Jonin.
• Torifu Akimichi and Hyuga Hiashi condemned Hiruzen Sarutobi’s handling of the matter, while Kazuna demanded the Second Hokage’s Lightning God Sword and threatened to keep the Uchiha off the battlefield.
• Kazuna punched Danzo and revealed his Mangekyo and Susanoo when Danzo accused the Uchiha of betrayal; Torifu Akimichi intervened and awarded Kazuna the Lightning God Sword as compensation.
• Kazuna submitted five Uchiha for promotion to Jonin, and Torifu Akimichi approved the list.
• Kazuna recounted how Orochimaru and Kumogakure had attacked his team while Kumogakure was working near Konohagakure’s Barrier.
• The Anbu confirmed signs of a Barrier breach, and the officials considered whether Kumogakure had targeted one of Konohagakure’s Kekkei Genkai.

Torifu Akimichi took charge as Acting Hokage and planned to pressure Sunagakure while targeting Hiruzen Sarutobi’s faction. Back with the Uchiha, Kazuna revealed how he had saved the twelve Jonin, and Setsuna disclosed his hidden Mangekyo and learned that Kazuna’s eyes had no strain from use.

• Torifu Akimichi ordered Konoha to demand an explanation from Sunagakure for the ambushes, while Shikaku Nara advised targeting Shimura Danzō and other rival clans.
• Torifu Akimichi and Shikaku Nara discussed the Uchiha’s losses and Kazuna’s possible injury, then resolved to shift their crackdown toward Hiruzen Sarutobi’s allies.
• Fugaku confronted Kazuna about the twelve Uchiha Jonin, and Kazuna explained that they had survived through Izanagi using spare Sharingan he had collected over the years.
• Setsuna told Kazuna that he had awakened the Mangekyo after Hiruzen Sarutobi defeated him, and offered his eyes so Kazuna might gain the Eternal Mangekyo.
• Kazuna showed Setsuna the Zero Realm’s effects, revealing that his Mangekyo had no strain from use, and Setsuna abandoned his plan to give Kazuna his eyes.

After Konoha’s outposts were attacked, Torifu Akimichi struggled to assert authority as Acting Hokage, clashing with Hiruzen Sarutobi over the Anbu and proposing a ninja census. Torifu secured a deal for the Finance and Logistics Departments with Kazuna’s support, while Shikaku Nara raised concerns about Kakashi’s unusual condition.

• Konoha grew tense after attacks killed more than a dozen guards and twelve Uchiha Jonin, and Sunagakure rejected Konoha’s demand for accountability while agreeing to send an investigation team.
• Torifu Akimichi’s attempt to replace the Anbu failed when Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Uchiha withheld support, so Shikaku Nara proposed a ninja census to pressure Hiruzen.
• Torifu confronted Hiruzen and demanded control of the Finance and Logistics Departments, threatening investigations; Hiruzen agreed to hand them over within a week, and Torifu demanded three days.
• Kazuna revealed he was making a movie, then agreed to support Torifu in exchange for money and strategic supplies for the Uchiha; Torifu asked the Uchiha to watch Sunagakure’s investigation team.
• Torifu and Shikaku discussed Jiraiya’s growing closeness to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and learned that Kakashi’s condition had seemed unusual recently.

Kazuna used his Sharingan to confront the Nine-Tails through Naruto Uzumaki and alarmed it by mentioning the Ten-Tails. When Sunagakure's Investigation Team arrived, Kazuna met Pakura and left with her to spar, while Shikaku Nara and Baki were left to handle the talks.

• Shikaku Nara and Torifu Akimichi discussed Kakashi's anger, the conflict with Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the powerful Kumogakure force.
• Kazuna reflected on the struggle between Torifu Akimichi and Hiruzen Sarutobi and absorbed life energy from Uchiha and Kumogakure corpses.
• Kazuna entered Naruto Uzumaki's mind with his Sharingan, provoked the Nine-Tails by mentioning the Ten-Tails, and then left as the beast raged behind its seal.
• The Anbu reported Kazuna's contact with Naruto to the Third Hokage, who warned Torifu Akimichi against Uchiha involvement with the Jinchuriki.
• Torifu Akimichi assigned Shikaku Nara and Kazuna to greet Sunagakure's Investigation Team, led by Pakura.
• Kazuna and Pakura agreed to spar and departed, leaving Shikaku Nara and Baki to handle the remaining business.

Kazuna manipulated his encounter with Pakura into a scandal to influence Sunagakure’s leaders and advance his plans. He proposed that Sunagakure and Konohagakure join forces to attack Kumogakure, leaving the gathered leaders stunned by his intention to start another war.

• Shikaku and Baki argued over whether the Kumogakure shinobi found dead in Konohagakure were actually Sunagakure’s, but Baki backed down and agreed to continue negotiations.
• Kazuna and Pakura emerged from a forest with disheveled clothes after a contest of strength, and their misleading exchange sparked rumors throughout Konohagakure.
• Torifu Akimichi saw Kazuna’s promotional poster and then called a meeting to demand an explanation for Kazuna’s apparent relationship with Pakura.
• Kazuna explained that he had made Pakura appear close to Konohagakure’s leadership to pressure Rasa and offered to use her position as leverage in negotiations with Baki.
• Kazuna urged the leaders to have Sunagakure and Konohagakure send troops against Kumogakure, prompting them to fall silent.