Chapter Summaries

Aozora asked Junpei, Hideki, and Koma to help him prepare a training plan, then Tsunade exposed his disguise and punished him for deceiving her and Shizune. When Tsunade offered to teach him a technique, Aozora requested Sage Jutsu, and she agreed despite warning him of its dangers.

• Aozora met Junpei, Hideki, and Koma on the way down the mountain and asked them to share training plans and teaching experience.
• Aozora returned home, where Tsunade and Shizune were waiting, and used a Shadow Clone and disguise to pose as Runfa.
• Tsunade detected Aozora's trick through the lingering scent of incense, and she and Shizune beat him after he revealed himself.
• Tsunade offered to teach Aozora one of her techniques, and he requested Sage Jutsu.
• Tsunade warned Aozora that Nature Energy could overwhelm him, but he insisted that he wanted strength to protect his loved ones, so she agreed to teach him.

Aozora warned Shisui to keep Kotoamatsukami secret, then continued cultivating and preparing a crow for Soul Splitting possession. The chapter ended when Kyūdai urgently summoned Aozora on behalf of the Clan Head.

• Aozora read Tsunade's Chakra Scalpel scroll and learned that Shisui had told Sarutobi Hiruzen about his proposal to give the Uchiha greater responsibilities.
• Shisui revealed that his Mangekyō Sharingan ability was Kotoamatsukami, and Aozora persuaded him to seal the ability away and never expose it.
• Shisui returned to his Shadow Guard duties while Aozora completed True Fire of Samadhi and Lightning Fire Golden Body, nurtured his Soul Splitting, and began preparing the Great Crow as a vessel.
• Aozora erased most of the Great Crow's soul and continued cleansing its body with chakra as his Soul Splitting grew more independent.
• Kyūdai urgently summoned Aozora to the Clan Head after a magnificent eagle flew past his window.

Aozora urged Fugaku to use Iwagakure’s invasion as a chance to pursue the Hokage position, and Fugaku challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen’s emergency deployment plan at a high-level meeting. The chapter ended with Fugaku requesting permission to fight on the front lines.

• Fugaku received intelligence that Kitsuchi and the Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han were leading an Iwagakure invasion, and Aozora told him the crisis could be his opportunity to become Hokage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and the elders planned to send Nara Shikaku and Sarutobi Shinnosuke to intercept Iwagakure, with Shisui also assigned to the front lines because he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
• At the emergency meeting, Fugaku challenged the Hokage’s plan, while Aozora questioned why the meeting had not disclosed Han’s presence.
• Fugaku argued that Shikaku and Shinnosuke could not stop Kitsuchi and Han and that the proposed force risked being massacred.
• Fugaku stood before the meeting and requested permission to fight.

Fugaku overcame Sarutobi Hiruzen’s attempts to keep him in Konoha and secured command of the western front. With Aozora’s support, he won approval to assemble elite Jōnin for a surprise raid against Iwagakure, leaving the meeting poised for a counterattack.

• Fugaku volunteered to fight on the western front, but Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to keep him stationed in Konoha, prompting Aozora and Fugaku to argue that the village could spare him.
• Fugaku used his Sharingan to frighten Shinnosuke, and Shikaku agreed to assist him rather than take command himself, so Sarutobi Hiruzen appointed Fugaku to lead the western front.
• Fugaku requested additional elite Jōnin and argued that Konoha should retaliate against Iwagakure instead of merely defending its territory.
• Fugaku proposed a long-range surprise raid against Iwagakure’s invading force, and Shikaku, Inoichi, and other ninja supported the plan.
• Aozora argued that Iwagakure was too weakened to launch a full-scale invasion, and Sarutobi Hiruzen finally approved Fugaku’s use of the available ninja for the raid.

Aozora helped Fugaku prepare for the campaign against Iwagakure, arranging publicity to strengthen Fugaku’s standing while also entrusting Itachi with a wounded Great Crow and teaching him a ninja tool technique. Four days into the squad’s journey to the border, Kitsuchi ordered his forces to prepare traps, wary that Konoha might arrive sooner than expected.

• Fugaku assigned Jintai to manage the Konoha Military Police Force while Aozora persuaded Yashiro to publicize Fugaku’s leadership and exaggerate the strength of Iwagakure’s fighters.
• Aozora left a wounded Great Crow with Itachi, agreed that Itachi could sign a summoning contract with it, and gave him a scroll teaching a ninja tool throwing technique.
• Fugaku led the assault squad out of Konoha through a remote Barrier Gate, and the ninja traveled silently toward the northwest border of the Land of Fire.
• At Iwa Camp, Han challenged Kitsuchi’s decision to withdraw from the Konoha Stronghold, but accepted the commander’s orders after Kitsuchi warned of the risks to their troops.
• Kitsuchi ordered Kari to have the Demolition Squad set traps around the camp within two days, despite Kari’s belief that Konoha’s force was still far away.

Konoha's elite launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure's camp, inflicting heavy losses before withdrawing under Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan. Kitsuchi and Han were left to face the damage and consider the danger Fugaku posed.

• Shisui and the infiltration team silently incapacitated Iwagakure sentries, while Aozora advised Fugaku to attack the densely populated forward camp.
• Fugaku ordered a coordinated Fire and Wind Release assault, with Aozora's Great Fire Dragon Technique driving a blazing inferno through the camp until Kitsuchi and Han helped contain it.
• Kitsuchi gathered Iwagakure's surviving fighters as Konoha's elite arrived, and Fugaku rejected Kitsuchi's accusation that Konoha had started the war.
• Kakashi, Inuzuka Ō, Akimichi Chōza, Fugaku, Shisui, and the other Konoha ninja broke through Iwagakure's defenses and fought Kitsuchi, Han, and their forces.
• Fugaku ordered Konoha to retreat, then used his Mangekyō Sharingan to paralyze the pursuing Iwagakure ninja while Aozora and Shisui set them ablaze.
• Kitsuchi extinguished the flames and learned from Han that the Five-Tails had feared Fugaku's eyes too much to intervene.

Fugaku’s team escaped Iwa Camp after a devastating Mangekyō attack, then reached Konoha’s stronghold and reported their losses. As the front quieted, Aozora began considering a way to protect Mangekyō users from blindness, while intelligence from the northwest stirred both Konoha and Iwagakure.

• Shikaku, Choza, and the retreating Konoha ninja saw Fugaku’s flames and realized he had overwhelmed Iwa Camp, while Inuzuka Ō discovered that his gray hound had been paralyzed with fear.
• Aozora advised Fugaku to leave his bloody face untouched and share credit for the assault, and the three rejoined the retreating forces before reaching Konoha’s stronghold.
• Fugaku told the wounded ninja that the assault had killed more than a hundred enemies, then took command of the stronghold and promised to seek compensation for the fallen.
• Aozora asked Fugaku about Mangekyō blindness and proposed researching a technique to strengthen the eyes, but Fugaku and Shisui warned him not to endanger himself.
• Aozora sent out a battle report, while Kitsuchi ordered Iwa Camp rebuilt and vowed revenge against Konoha.
• Thirty-five Jonin returned to the village, and Aozora counted six Golden Droplets before the border grew quiet and new northwest intelligence stirred both villages.

After Konoha’s surprise attack on Iwagakure, Hiruzen’s council debated rewards and grew wary of Uchiha Fugaku’s rising influence, while Ōnoki prepared reinforcements and sought outside help. Pain recruited Orochimaru and Juzō Biwa for a dangerous mission against Konoha’s northwest stronghold, leaving Orochimaru especially interested in the Uchiha’s Sharingan.

• Hiruzen’s council classified the surprise attack as an S-Rank mission, approved compensation for the fallen ninja’s families, and rejected publicizing the victory.
• Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu discussed Aozora’s power and Fugaku’s political ambitions, then Hiruzen ordered Elephant’s ANBU squad to monitor the Uchiha Clan.
• Ōnoki ordered seven hundred ninja to reinforce Kitsuchi and asked Akatsuchi to arrange another seven hundred through Elder Heiji.
• Pain summoned the Akatsuki members and offered fifty million ryo plus access to Amegakure’s confidential archive for an attack on Konoha’s northwest stronghold.
• Orochimaru accepted the mission for a chance to obtain Hanzō’s Ninjutsu, and Juzō Biwa joined him as his teammate.
• Orochimaru returned to his cave thinking about the Uchiha and their Sharingan.

Aozora proposed using Jonin Shadow Clones to harass Iwagakure and exhaust its defenses before Konoha’s reinforcements returned. Both sides escalated into a sleepless exchange of explosions and feints, leaving the Northwest Border tense as a larger battle loomed.

• Aozora suggested repeated night raids to disrupt Iwagakure’s recovery, and Fugaku and Shikaku approved using Shadow Clones to limit the risk to Konoha’s Jonin.
• Aozora led a team of ten Jonin Shadow Clones toward the Iwa Camp, where an explosive trap triggered and the team exchanged ninjutsu with Iwagakure’s defenders.
• Kitsuchi trapped the attackers in an earth prison, but the remaining figure vanished as a Shadow Clone, confirming that Konoha had sent clones to test Iwagakure’s defenses.
• A second blast struck the Iwa Camp less than two hours later, and Kitsuchi ordered Kari and the Demolition Squad to prepare noisy clay in retaliation.
• Iwagakure detonated clay near the Konoha Stronghold, and Fugaku continued daytime attacks as both camps endured an exhausting exchange without bloodshed.

Orochimaru and Juzō Biwa received intelligence from Kitsuchi while Konoha prepared to attack Iwagakure’s camp. As Fugaku led the assault, Aozora stayed behind to guard the Konoha Stronghold, where Orochimaru and Juzō prepared to make their move.

• Orochimaru and Juzō Biwa discussed their plans and the dangerous Konoha shinobi they might face, including Fugaku and Shisui.
• A ninja delivered Kitsuchi’s sealed letter to Orochimaru and Juzō.
• Inabi arrived with reinforcements, and Fugaku ordered the force to rest before launching a decisive attack on Iwagakure’s camp.
• Aozora told Inabi and the others about the surprise attack, revealed his Blaze Release, and urged them to strive for greatness as the Uchiha clan rose again.
• Fugaku led thirty-four Jonin and the Konoha force toward Iwagakure’s camp, leaving Aozora and five Jonin to guard the stronghold.
• An earth snake reached Orochimaru in his cave, and he announced that it was time to act.

Konoha and Iwagakure clashed at Iwa Camp as Fugaku led the assault, while Orochimaru and Juzō Biwa attacked Konoha Camp. Aozora confronted Orochimaru and organized the defenders to hold off the attackers.

• Kitsuchi ordered the stone ninja to defend Iwa Camp, but Fugaku led Konoha’s assault and Akatsuchi blocked Chōza’s giant palm.
• Fugaku fought Kitsuchi as the forces clashed; after Iwagakure retreated behind the inner camp, Clay Bombs exploded beneath the pursuing Konoha ninja.
• Dema spotted Orochimaru and Juzō Biwa approaching through the mist and sounded the alarm, then Orochimaru summoned three giant snakes to smash through Konoha Camp’s wall.
• Juzō Biwa attacked Dema, but Aozora intervened and fought him while Orochimaru’s snakes and summoned creatures rampaged through the camp.
• Aozora identified the attackers and proposed that the Genin withdraw, the Chunin handle the snakes, and Tekka, Dema, and Choji Hattori deal with Juzō Biwa while he held off Orochimaru.

Aozora fought Orochimaru while Inabi, Dema, and Choji Hattori battled Juzō Biwa at Konoha Camp. Orochimaru trapped Aozora inside a Giant Snake and tried to bite his neck, but Aozora revealed he had anticipated the attack and unleashed orange flames.

• Aozora attacked Orochimaru with shuriken and taijutsu while Orochimaru tested his abilities and sought a suitable vessel.
• Juzō Biwa used a chakra-infused mist to ambush the Konoha Jonin, but Dema countered his strike with Revolving Heaven.
• Inabi and Choji Hattori attacked Juzō Biwa from both sides after Dema's defense left him injured and vulnerable.
• Aozora trapped Orochimaru in steel wires and set them ablaze, but Orochimaru escaped by swallowing him inside a Giant Snake.
• Orochimaru approached Aozora inside the snake's belly and lunged to bite his neck, while Aozora responded with orange flames.

Aozora nearly killed Orochimaru with a surprise Great Fire Dragon Technique, but Orochimaru escaped and recovered with the Great Serpent Replacement Technique. Aozora then killed Juzō Biwa and emerged from underground, leaving Orochimaru alive and the fight unresolved.

• Shikaku ordered Konoha's forces to retreat from Iwa Camp after receiving a distress signal that the rear camp had fallen, and Kitsuchi sent a squad to harass them.
• Fugaku left Shikaku and Shibi in command and hurried toward the rear camp with Fuyukawa Gō and Kashiyama Haruto.
• Aozora unleashed a hand seal-less Great Fire Dragon Technique that burned Orochimaru and destroyed the Giant Snake, making Juzō Biwa, Choji Hattori, and Inabi believe Orochimaru had died.
• Orochimaru escaped underground, recovered unharmed, and pierced Aozora's Shadow Clone with the Kusanagi Sword while searching for the real Aozora.
• Aozora used the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique and a Flying Dagger to pierce Juzō Biwa's heart, killing him before emerging from underground.

Aozora fought Orochimaru after he killed Juzō Biwa, using her Blaze Release and Flying Dagger to resist his attacks while trying to stall for reinforcements. Orochimaru revealed that his snake poison had weakened her, and Aozora prepared to retreat by sending Earth Release Chakra into the ground.

• Aozora sealed Juzō Biwa and his Kubikiribōchō in a scroll, then warned Orochimaru that Uchiha Fugaku was on his way.
• Aozora, Inabi, and Choji Hattori combined Fire and Wind Release to burn Orochimaru’s venomous snakes, but his mist and attacks separated them.
• Orochimaru trapped Aozora in a prolonged fight with clones, varied jutsu, and an Underworld Swamp, but she escaped the swamp by stepping on her Flying Dagger.
• Aozora filled the battlefield with ash and smoke, resisted Orochimaru’s attempt to recruit her, and stalled him while he spoke.
• Orochimaru revealed that the poison in the air had overcome the antidotes; Inabi and Choji Hattori fled the mist while Aozora felt her reactions slowing.
• Aozora sent Earth Release Chakra into the ground, deciding that retreat was her best option.

Aozora fled Orochimaru through the earth while weakened by poison, but Orochimaru tracked him down and subdued him. After Orochimaru placed a curse mark on him, Aozora vanished, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Aragaki Kōkichi and Kawata Nakaji drove the Giant Snakes back and cleared the Poison Mist, but could not find Aozora or Orochimaru.
• Aozora escaped underground toward Iwa Camp, struggling to maintain Earth Release as the poison numbed his body.
• Orochimaru tracked Aozora by the traces his Earth Release left in the soil and attacked him, hoping to capture him alive.
• As the venom weakened Aozora, he tried to flee and used Demonic Illusion—Shackling Stakes Technique, but Orochimaru resisted it and bound him with Shadow Snake Hands.
• Orochimaru placed a Three Tomoe curse mark on Aozora's neck, and Aozora declared that he would erase Orochimaru before his right eye lost its color and he vanished.

Aozora used Izanagi to escape Orochimaru, then survived their pursuit until Orochimaru retreated from approaching Konoha reinforcements. Aozora collapsed after Fugaku reached him, and the camp came to believe he had lured Orochimaru away to protect them, making him a hero while he remained unconscious.

• Aozora used Izanagi to return to a state he had recorded with his Sharingan, and the Heavenly Book absorbed the strange energy it produced.
• Orochimaru pursued Aozora across the wasteland, but withdrew when his Chakra ran low and reinforcements led by Fugaku approached.
• Fugaku found the exhausted Aozora, gave him medicine, and carried him back to camp with Fuyukawa Gō and Kashiyama Haruto.
• Fugaku heard reports of the attack and then went to check on Aozora as the camp's Jonin pieced together a story of his heroic stand.
• The news spread through camp that Aozora had lured Orochimaru away to protect Konoha, and he became known as a hero while unconscious.

After awakening in the camp with his right eye blind, Aozora discussed his injuries and a possible Sharingan transplant with Fugaku. He then discovered that the Heavenly Book had used all its Golden Droplets to reveal Manipulate Creation, and he began investigating how Izanagi and Yin-Yang Release might unlock it.

• Aozora woke in the medical tent and confirmed that his right eye had gone blind after using Izanagi.
• Fugaku warned Aozora that his blindness weakened his Sharingan and explained the clan's history of Izanagi and Sharingan theft; Aozora asked for time to decide whether to accept a transplant.
• Aozora calculated the rewards from the battle, including Juzō Biwa's corpse and Kubikiribōchō, then checked the Heavenly Book and found that all its Golden Droplets were gone.
• Aozora received an incomplete inheritance for Manipulate Creation and learned that it required crucial knowledge he did not yet possess.
• Aozora connected Izanagi to the Six Paths Sage's Creation of All Things Technique and concluded that Yin-Yang Release might be the key to learning Manipulate Creation.

Aozora theorized about the Mangekyō Sharingan before the Akatsuki Organization began targeting the Tailed Beasts and assigned members to gather intelligence. In Konoha, the team learned of Akatsuki’s strength from Juzō Biwa’s memories, while Aozora gained Shikaku’s trust by presenting his actions as proof of the Uchiha’s loyalty.

• Aozora pondered why Mangekyō Sharingan abilities reflected Uchiha desires, then fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Pain ordered the Akatsuki Organization to collect the Tailed Beasts, assigned members to investigate Jinchūriki, and issued a mission to kill Aozora and recover Juzō Biwa’s ring.
• Inoichi used the Mind Reading Technique on Juzō Biwa’s corpse and learned about Kirigakure’s Blood Mist Policy and Akatsuki’s powerful members, including Orochimaru.
• Fugaku urged the gathered Konoha shinobi to report Akatsuki as a threat to the Hokage, while Aozora regretted that Inoichi had uncovered little intelligence.
• Aozora credited the Uchiha with acting to protect Konoha, and Shikaku apologized to Fugaku for his prejudice against the clan.

Aozora returned to Konoha after arranging for the Uchiha to shape public opinion around his decline and Fugaku’s heroism. As Fugaku’s reputation grew, Hiruzen learned that Ōnoki had hired the Akatsuki Organization and ordered steps to counter it while monitoring the Uchiha.

• Aozora told Fugaku to promote his own supposed fall from grace while using his example to improve the village’s view of the Uchiha, then transformed himself to look dispirited and returned to Konoha with the next group of Jonin.
• Itachi disguised himself as Fugaku and listened as a storyteller praised Fugaku’s sacrifice during the Iwagakure battle, while the audience’s opinion of the Uchiha improved.
• A messenger reported the storytelling campaign to Hiruzen, who learned that Ōnoki had hired the Akatsuki Organization to attack Konoha’s Northwest Camp.
• Hiruzen agreed to send Homura to seek peace talks with Cloud and tasked Kosuke with clearing nearby Black Markets and investigating the Akatsuki Organization.
• An ANBU report told Hiruzen that the Uchiha were spreading news of their victories and improving Fugaku’s reputation, so Hiruzen ordered the victories credited to all of Konoha and reviewed intelligence on Uchiha Jintai and Uchiha Nobuo.

Obito learned that Konoha had resisted Cloud and Iwagakure with help from Uchiha, and he ordered Zetsu to investigate Fugaku and Aozora. After returning to Konoha, Aozora reunited with Itachi, told him about Orochimaru, and arranged for Itachi to summon Ninja Crows.

• Obito met with Zetsu in the Mizukage's Office and learned Pain was gathering information on the Tailed Beasts and preparing to recruit members for Akatsuki.
• Zetsu told Obito that Uchiha Fugaku had led Konoha Jonin to strike Iwagakure, and that Uchiha Aozora had killed Juzō Biwa and survived Orochimaru's pursuit.
• Obito ordered Zetsu to investigate why Fugaku had become Konoha's frontline commander and how Aozora had emerged as a powerful Uchiha.
• Aozora returned to Konoha and visited Fugaku's home, where he reassured Itachi about his injured eye and described the surprise attack on Iwagakure.
• Aozora told Itachi to remember Orochimaru and avenge him when he became strong enough, then inspected the Great Crow Itachi had cared for.
• Aozora praised Itachi's progress in Weapon Control and had him sign the Ninja Crow Clan's Contract Scroll, making Itachi Aozora's summoner.