Chapter Summaries

After Uchiha Gen’s political victory, Hiruzen Sarutobi advised Danzo and the other elders to let the dispute die down. At home, Gen explained the meeting’s power struggles to Shisui and Itachi, challenging their faith in Konoha’s leaders and leaving them more wary of the village’s higher-ups.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu’s calls to retaliate against Uchiha Gen and urged them to let the matter cool.
• The council kept its meeting secret, while Konoha’s leaders and clan heads began treating Gen with greater seriousness after his successful appearance in the political arena.
• Gen invited Shisui to his home and recounted the council meeting, with Itachi and Mikoto listening and Sasuke sitting nearby.
• Gen explained that the leaders’ opposition to the Ninjutsu Point Exchange System came from their own interests and discussed how his strength still needed to grow.
• Shisui recognized that the interests of leaders could conflict with those of the collective, and Gen praised him before warning him and Itachi not to trust leaders’ words over their actions.

Uchiha Gen left Konoha for the Land of Rice Fields to train in Sage Mode, while Danzo arranged a bounty-driven attempt to assassinate him. After learning that Bounty Hunters were closing in, Gen defeated their first group with ease and set out to find more opponents.

• Uchiha Gen entrusted the Military Police Force and Uchiha Clan to Setsuna Uchiha before leaving Konoha, and Danzo arranged a large bounty on him through the Bounty Exchange.
• Uchiha Gen met Orochimaru at his research base in the Land of Rice Fields, where Orochimaru warned him about the Bounty Hunters and gave him the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique.
• After two days, Uchiha Gen left the base, discovered Orochimaru had sent a giant snake to follow him, and led a group of Bounty Hunters into an ambush.
• Uchiha Gen used genjutsu to incapacitate four of the six Bounty Hunters, then defeated the captain and vice-captain as they tried to flee.
• Uchiha Gen sent the surviving corpses to Orochimaru and disappeared to seek out the other Bounty Hunters.

Uchiha Gen lured fifteen bounty hunters into the wilderness and overwhelmed them with his Sharingan, Flying Thunder God Technique, Homies, and lightning attacks. He ordered Qiangliang and Zhurong to capture the survivors and began collecting the fallen hunters’ souls and lifespans.

• Uchiha Gen waited until fifteen bounty hunters surrounded him, including Kakuzu, then provoked them into attacking together.
• Uchiha Gen escaped their opening barrage with the Flying Thunder God Technique and struck back with Wusheng’s lightning.
• Uchiha Gen summoned Qiangliang and Zhurong, whose combined fire and lightning attacks blasted through the hunters’ assault and pierced two men with Wusheng.
• Uchiha Gen hypnotized the two impaled hunters into surrendering their souls and lifespans, then rode Qiangliang above the battlefield.
• Qiangliang unleashed lightning across the area, incapacitating the bounty hunters; Kakuzu escaped by sacrificing one heart.
• Uchiha Gen sent Qiangliang after hidden observers and Zhurong after another fleeing hunter, ordering them to capture their targets, while he harvested the fallen.

Uchiha Gen pursued and overwhelmed Kakuzu with Zhurong, Wusheng, and the Flying Thunder God Technique. After Gen trapped Kakuzu in a genjutsu and pierced his heart, Kakuzu revived again and was left facing Gen’s offer to serve him.

• Uchiha Gen harvested the bounty hunters’ souls and lifespans, sent their corpses to Orochimaru, and pursued Kakuzu on Zhurong.
• Kakuzu unleashed Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot, but Uchiha Gen evaded it with the Flying Thunder God Technique and severed Kakuzu’s head.
• Uchiha Gen destroyed Kakuzu’s underground threads and struck him with a Rasengan, sending him into the river as their attacks scorched the battlefield.
• Kakuzu emerged from the river and prepared to fight again, but Uchiha Gen caught him in a genjutsu and pierced his heart with Wusheng.
• Kakuzu revived once more and recalled the fear of being dominated by the First Hokage as Uchiha Gen asked him to serve.

Uchiha Gen recruited Kakuzu as a paid partner after defeating him, then uncovered and killed two Root agents spying on him. After returning to Orochimaru’s research base, Gen and Orochimaru traveled to Ryūchi Cave to begin the trials for learning senjutsu.

• Uchiha Gen offered Kakuzu money in exchange for services, and Kakuzu agreed to provide two jobs without pay as the price for his life.
• Uchiha Gen found two unconscious Root ninjas carrying surveillance equipment and a scroll recording his abilities, then killed them and erased the evidence.
• Uchiha Gen collected the souls and lifespans of the dead, adding to his progress toward the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru traveled to Ryūchi Cave, where they encountered Tagorihime’s first senjutsu trial in a castle filled with food.

Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru passed Tagorihime’s test by resisting her genjutsu and impressing her with Phantom Dragon Nine Realms. They continued deeper into Ryūchi Cave, where they blasted through Ichikishimahime’s test instead of following its rules.

• Tagorihime revealed her true form after Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru refused her illusory meal, then admitted they had passed her test.
• Uchiha Gen used Phantom Dragon Nine Realms to show Tagorihime and Orochimaru an illusion of nine divine dragons, leaving Tagorihime awed and eager to exchange insights if they learned senjutsu.
• Tagorihime agreed to share genjutsu and senjutsu insights with Uchiha Gen if he succeeded in training, then sent him and Orochimaru to the next test.
• Ichikishimahime trapped Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru behind a boulder, intending to drain their Chakra as they filled its holes with crystals.
• Orochimaru used Wind Release and Uchiha Gen used Fire Release to blast apart the boulder, prompting Ichikishimahime to accuse them of cheating.

Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen passed Tagitsuhime’s test and met the White Snake Sage to begin learning Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode. Uchiha Gen explained that he intended to create a Sage Mode unique to himself, while Orochimaru began training by receiving Natural Energy through a snake’s bite.

• Ichikishimahime passed Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen after receiving the White Snake Sage’s message, despite their provoking her to fight.
• Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen evaded Tagitsuhime’s attempts to bite them until she acknowledged their strength and passed them.
• Tagitsuhime directed the pair to the White Snake Sage’s temple, where they respectfully requested to learn Sage Mode.
• Uchiha Gen said he wanted to develop a Sage Mode exclusive to himself, and the White Snake Sage praised his ambition and offered future guidance.
• The White Snake Sage sent a small white snake to bite Orochimaru and inject Natural Energy into him.

Uchiha Gen learned Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu principles from the White Snake Sage and used his control and Izanagi to safely develop Sage Chakra. After ten days of practice, he created a Sage Mode unique to himself, whose dramatic awakening drew the attention of Ryūchi Cave’s inhabitants.

• The White Snake Sage infused Orochimaru with Natural Energy and explained Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode, Sage Chakra, and the Curse Mark’s risks and mechanics.
• Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru chose separate rooms in the temple to practice cultivating Sage Chakra.
• Uchiha Gen safely fused small portions of Natural Energy and Chakra, but a reckless attempt to convert the remainder triggered a dangerous backlash that he erased with Izanagi.
• Over nine days, Uchiha Gen practiced, consulted Orochimaru and the White Snake Sage, and gathered Natural Energy; on the tenth day, he became confident he could create his own Sage Mode.
• Uchiha Gen activated his new Sage Mode, releasing a powerful aura and appearing with a violet mark, golden ripples in his eyes, and seven-colored halos as the White Snake Sage, her subordinates, and Orochimaru rushed to see him.

Uchiha Gen stabilized his self-created Sage Mode, which gave him a divine appearance and a fifteenfold boost to his techniques. After impressing the White Snake Sage and earning access to Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu archives, he planned to study there briefly before returning to Konoha, while Orochimaru stayed to master senjutsu.

• Uchiha Gen inspected his new Sage Mode and realized it enhanced his techniques fifteenfold without risks.
• The White Snake Sage and the others were stunned by Uchiha Gen’s appearance and power.
• Uchiha Gen suggested that Ryūchi Cave’s snakes gather moonlight Natural Energy, and the White Snake Sage agreed to test his idea.
• The White Snake Sage granted Uchiha Gen access to Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu archives, and the three senior snakes exchanged keys with him.
• Uchiha Gen planned to study Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu before returning to Konoha, while Orochimaru stayed to master senjutsu and research his Sage Mode’s appearance.

Uchiha Gen left Ryūchi Cave after studying its senjutsu archives and encountered Tsunade and Shizune while seeking a meal. After treating them to dinner and escorting the drunken pair to their inn, he returned to Konoha and spent time with Mikoto, while Sasuke woke and went looking for his mother.

• Uchiha Gen studied Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu, especially Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, and exchanged insights with Orochimaru and the others for a week.
• Uchiha Gen left Ryūchi Cave, traveled through several countries, and entered a town in the Land of Fire to find a restaurant.
• Uchiha Gen met Tsunade and Shizune outside a gambling house and invited them to an extravagant meal, where they discussed Orochimaru, loss, and Gen’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Uchiha Gen helped Shizune escort the drunken Tsunade to her inn, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Konoha.
• Uchiha Gen reunited with Mikoto at home, and Sasuke later woke up and went looking for his mother.

Uchiha Gen took Sasuke and Itachi to see a stage play, then continued secretly investigating and burning Danzo’s hidden money. Danzo discovered that two more caches had been destroyed and became obsessed with making money, while Gen kept searching for the rest.

• Sasuke interrupted Uchiha Gen and Mikoto in their bedroom, and Gen persuaded him to leave by promising a stage play and dinner.
• Uchiha Gen took Sasuke and Itachi to see a visiting troupe’s stage play that evening.
• A week later, Uchiha Gen broke into Root’s and Danzo’s vaults, stole the money, and burned it to prevent it from being traced.
• Uchiha Gen followed Danzo with pieces of his soul, discovered two more hiding places, and burned both cash caches.
• Danzo found the ash at both locations, vowed to catch the thief, and returned to Root determined to make money.

Uchiha Gen approved Itachi’s early graduation and later helped him cope with a teammate’s death and the awakening of his Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Itachi began ninja missions, while Gen prepared to address the Military Police Force’s senior ranks again.

• Uchiha Gen agreed to Itachi’s early graduation, and Itachi spent a brief period at home before his classmates graduated and formed teams.
• Itachi began returning home late from missions, and Uchiha Gen noticed his unsettled chakra and Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Itachi told Uchiha Gen that Eitoku had died on a mission, and Gen comforted him by explaining how the Uchiha turned grief into strength.
• Itachi accepted Gen’s advice to carry his companion’s memory with him and try to prevent future tragedies.
• Mikoto grew closer to Uchiha Gen, and a few days later he summoned the Military Police Force’s senior ranks to his home.

Uchiha Gen announced that the Military Police Force would recruit ninja from across Konoha, arguing that the Uchiha needed to expand beyond their traditional stronghold. The announcement drew a flood of applicants and alarmed Konoha’s leadership, who began looking for ways to limit the move.

• Uchiha Gen told clan leaders that outsiders would be admitted to the Military Police Force and ordered them to enforce the policy, warning that discrimination would bring severe penalties.
• Two days later, the Military Police Force announced fifty-one openings for Chunin and above from any department, clan, or background, with the same benefits as Uchiha members.
• Mission ninja crowded the registration office to apply, while Konoha’s major clans watched Uchiha Gen’s challenge to the established power structure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura met to discuss how to respond to the recruitment drive.
• Danzo proposed using Root ninja to warn selected applicants, and Hiruzen approved the plan with instructions not to go too far.

The Konoha Council decided it could not stop the Military Police Force’s expansion and planned to recruit ninjas of its own while placing agents inside the force. After Danzo’s Root coerced nearly all of the Military Police Force’s new recruits into staying away, only Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao reported for work, and Uchiha Gen began investigating.

• Danzo suggested threatening Uchiha Gen through people he cared about, but Hiruzen Sarutobi fiercely rejected the idea and warned him against breaking the rules.
• Utatane Koharu proposed that the council recruit ninjas for its own departments, and Mitokado Homura suggested using the Military Police Force’s expansion to place trusted people inside it.
• Uchiha Gen secretly helped Kurenai, Yugao, and Anko pass the assessments, and the Military Police Force announced fifty-one recruits after two rounds of selection.
• After the recruits celebrated, Root ninjas threatened and enticed nearly all of them into not reporting for work, while Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao remained unaffected.
• When only the three women reported the next day, Uchiha Gen sent people to investigate and took them to his office.

Uchiha Gen confronted Konoha’s leaders over the recruitment campaign and Root’s threats against Military Police Force recruits. After revealing that he knew the Flying Thunder God Technique and Sage Mode, he forced Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders to acknowledge misconduct, then demanded an explanation.

• Uchiha Gen assigned Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao to the Second Squad after they chose to join together.
• Uchiha Sanji reported that Root Ninja had threatened reserve members while four Konoha departments competed to recruit them.
• Uchiha Gen rejected simply recruiting again and proposed offering signing bonuses while asking the Hokage to intervene.
• Uchiha Gen confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, accusing them of permitting the threats and recruitment campaign.
• Uchiha Gen revealed his Flying Thunder God Technique and displayed Sage Mode, prompting the leaders to distance themselves from Danzo’s actions.
• Uchiha Gen refused to let the matter end without an explanation from the Hokage and the elders.

Uchiha Gen negotiated with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders over Danzo’s punishment and Root’s recruitment, securing an apology, compensation, and the transfer of newly trained Root ninjas. After Gen left, Danzo learned of the deal and protested, but Hiruzen insisted it was the three leaders’ decision.

• Uchiha Gen demanded that Danzo be removed and barred from future employment, and that the recruited ninjas be returned.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Gen’s terms but offered fair competition among the five departments and other punishments for Danzo.
• Uchiha Gen accepted the compromise and demanded an apology, half a year of Root’s funding, and newly trained Root ninjas.
• Uchiha Gen warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that Konoha was not Danzo’s personal property, then left using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Danzo and told him to apologize, pay compensation, and hand over ninjas.
• Danzo objected to the deal and suggested subduing Uchiha Gen, but Hiruzen Sarutobi told him the decision was final.

Uchiha Gen confronted Danzo and the Konoha Council, forcing Danzo to apologize and hand over Root’s accounts and two reserve members. Gen claimed four-fifths of Root’s funds and selected two promising recruits before leaving the Hokage Building.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi pressured Danzo to accept responsibility, and Danzo secured half of the previous funding allocation while agreeing to hand over Root’s account book and choose two members for Gen.
• Danzo reluctantly apologized to Uchiha Gen in front of the council, and Gen warned him to respect the rules.
• Danzo presented Root’s account book, and Gen claimed four-fifths of its balance.
• Danzo gave Gen the list of Root’s reserve members, and Gen selected two of its strongest candidates.
• Gen warned Danzo not to tamper with the selected members, then thanked Hiruzen Sarutobi and left to return to the Military Police Force.

Uchiha Gen turned the Konoha higher-ups’ failed recruitment effort into a windfall for the Military Police Force and brought Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame out of Root. The new recruits completed their onboarding while the Konoha Council, especially Danzo, was left to swallow its losses.

• Uchiha Gen told the Military Police Force officers to recruit willing ninjas from the assessment list and fill vacancies by score without forcing anyone to join.
• Uchiha Gen met Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, told them they had left Root, and arranged for them to stay at the Uchiha Clan Estate until he reached agreements with their clan heads.
• Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame pledged loyalty to Uchiha Gen and felt joy at the prospect of returning to their clans.
• Most of the listed ninjas completed their Military Police Force onboarding that afternoon, while those who declined joined departments suited to their skills.
• The Konoha Council learned of the recruitment and money paid out by the Military Police Force, but could not reverse the completed procedures or retaliate easily.

As Konoha prepared to sign a peace treaty with Cloud, Uchiha Gen used his influence to secure Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame’s return from Root and build ties with their clans. The chapter ended with Fū and Torune meeting Itachi as their future teammate.

• Konoha and Cloud agreed to sign a peace treaty on December 27, and Konoha’s leadership planned an elaborate celebration.
• Uchiha Gen invited Inoichi Yamanaka and Shibi Aburame to his residence and introduced them to Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame.
• Uchiha Gen offered to help Fū and Torune return to clan life in exchange for their future team with Itachi and friendship with the Yamanaka and Aburame Clans.
• Inoichi Yamanaka and Shibi Aburame accepted Uchiha Gen’s terms and agreed to support the future team.
• Uchiha Gen introduced Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame to Itachi over dinner, and they got along well.

The Kumo Delegation arrived in Konoha for a peace ceremony, which the Hyuga Clan conspicuously skipped. That night, Danzo secretly arranged with the Cloud Ninja Leader to target Hinata Hyuga, and the leader left his room to begin the operation.

• The Kumo Delegation arrived in Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that the Hyuga Clan had skipped the ceremony to attend Hinata Hyuga's birthday.
• Uchiha Gen suspected Hyuga Hiashi had snubbed the ceremony to press his claim to become Fifth Hokage, overlooking the political obstacles posed by the Caged Bird Seal and Hokage succession customs.
• Danzo entered the Cloud Ninja Leader's hotel room and offered to help Cloud obtain Hinata Hyuga's Byakugan in exchange for staging a kidnapping and killing.
• Danzo gave the Cloud Ninja Leader patrol maps and a layout of the Hyuga compound, and they agreed to cooperate while concealing the plan from others.
• After Danzo left, the Cloud Ninja Leader ate alone and watched the moon, then left his room at half past nine.