Chapter Summaries

The Uchiha voted in Konoha’s leadership election after withdrawing their own candidate, drawing attention from the other factions. Aozora told Torifu that the Uchiha had voted for Hiashi, leaving the Hyuga clan head with renewed hope.

• The Uchiha lined up to vote, prompting speculation about whom the clan would support.
• Fugaku exchanged a nod with Hiashi, who hoped the Uchiha would vote for him.
• Torifu noticed Aozora and called him over, then asked why he had become Fugaku’s assistant.
• Inoichi and Shikaku praised Aozora’s accomplishments and abilities to Torifu.
• Torifu asked whom the Uchiha had voted for, and Aozora said they had chosen Hiashi.

Aozora reconsidered his voting strategy and supported the Uchiha’s open approach as the Hokage Assistant election ended in a close contest. Torifu Akimichi and Kosuke won, while Aozora noticed a suspicious vote for Yamakawa Hei and resolved to remember the irregularity.

• Aozora realized that Fugaku had been right to reject his scheme and decided the Uchiha should avoid underhanded tactics.
• The vote count showed Torifu Akimichi steadily taking the lead while Kosuke and Hyuga Hiashi remained neck and neck.
• The final ballot went to Yamakawa Hei, leaving Hiashi one vote behind Kosuke.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced Torifu Akimichi and Kosuke as the winners, and Hiashi forced himself to applaud.
• Aozora asked Yamakawa Hei about his vote, learned Hei had not voted for himself, and silently resolved to remember the suspicious detail.

Aozora saw that the Konoha Military Police Force’s civilian recruitment was failing and considered how it could help the Uchiha gain broader support. After Shisui told him Sarutobi Hiruzen had invited him into the Shadow Guard, Aozora became suspicious of the Hokage’s motives and began setting expectations for Shisui.

• Aozora examined the sparse recruitment notice and concluded that the Uchiha needed to attract civilian recruits to build wider support.
• Aozora went home, prepared a meal for Shisui, and ate alone when Shisui failed to return by noon.
• Shisui returned at sunset and told Aozora that Sarutobi Hiruzen had invited him to join the Shadow Guard and continue training him.
• Aozora suspected Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted Shisui’s strength and Uchiha identity for his own purposes, but decided to wait for an opening.
• At dinner, Aozora praised the Shadow Guard and suggested Sarutobi Hiruzen might train Shisui as a successor, encouraging Shisui’s hopes.

Shisui joined the Hokage’s Shadow Guard and was assigned to a lonely watch post while Fugaku gave Aozora an office chair and briefed him on military police reforms. At the meeting, Fugaku began appointing squad leaders and paused before naming the fourth Flying Tigers leader, looking toward Aozora.

• Shisui chose a Cat-Faced Mask, joined the Shadow Guard, and was assigned to guard a dark corner of the Hokage Building.
• Fugaku arranged a dedicated desk and comfortable chair for Aozora in recognition of his contributions to the Uchiha clan.
• Fugaku told Aozora that Yashiro and Genma would lead clan members to the front lines while Jintai, Musashi, Sekikō, and others returned to the village.
• Fugaku explained that Jintai distrusted non-Uchiha after his brother Gintai’s teammates abandoned him during a dangerous mission.
• Fugaku announced the Konoha Military Police Force’s new department captains and began naming the Flying Tigers squad leaders.
• Fugaku paused before announcing the fourth Flying Tigers squad leader and looked toward Aozora.

Fugaku appointed Uchiha officers and pressed his Captains to improve the Military Police Force’s poor recruitment of Civilian Ninja. Aozora declined a Flying Tigers squad leader position, then proposed recruiting ugly applicants to build trust, leaving the plan unexplained.

• Fugaku named Aozora Fourth Squad Leader of the Flying Tigers, but Aozora declined, so Fugaku appointed Shūichi instead.
• Fugaku questioned Inabi about the recruitment drive, and Inabi reported that only fifteen Civilian Ninja had registered.
• Inabi explained that the notice lacked appeal and Civilian Ninja distrusted the Uchiha, while the Captains offered ideas Fugaku found unsatisfactory.
• Fugaku asked Aozora for a solution, and Aozora proposed “Recruit the Ugly to Build Trust” and “Thousand-Pound Recruitment of the Ugly.”

Aozora persuaded the Uchiha leaders to recruit Civilian Ninjas through generous treatment and a probationary period, then explained to Fugaku that he valued time to pursue his dream of becoming the strongest shinobi. Fugaku appointed him as an instructor for the Flying Tigers, teaching hidden weapon throwing on weekends.

• Aozora proposed recruiting ordinary-looking Civilian Ninjas, treating them generously, and publicizing their success to build trust in the Konoha Military Police Force.
• Aoki questioned whether recruiting weak outsiders would disadvantage Clan Members, but Aozora argued that the Uchiha needed Civilian Ninja support and suggested a one-month probationary period.
• Fugaku approved Aozora's plan, and Inabi promised to begin handling recruitment after the meeting.
• Fugaku asked Aozora why he had rejected the Department Assistant position, and Aozora said he wanted to learn every ninjutsu and become the strongest person in the Shinobi World.
• Fugaku offered Aozora the Flying Tigers instructor role, teaching hidden weapon throwing to members who were free on weekends, and Aozora accepted.

Shisui came home after a day guarding the Hokage, and Aozora teased him about his supposed duties while boasting about his own work. The next morning, Aozora asked Fugaku to arrange medical help for a dangerous Secret Technique, but Gekko warned that the possible injury would be fatal.

• Aozora welcomed Shisui home with exaggerated praise, then served him a lavish dinner while probing about his Shadow Guard work.
• Shisui stayed silent about spending the day standing guard, endured Aozora's talk about his own appointment as a Flying Tigers instructor, and escaped to his room.
• Aozora took the scroll sealing the Two-Tails Ghost Fire to the Konoha Military Police Force and asked Fugaku to find a medical ninja for his Secret Technique training.
• Fugaku brought Aozora to Training Ground 35, where he introduced him to Gekko and the Flying Tigers' medical facilities.
• Aozora said the technique might burn his meridians as severely as a Great Fireball Technique exploding inside him, and Gekko replied that he would die.

Aozora convinced Fugaku to let him temper his Fire Release Chakra with ghostly blue fire, despite the danger of using Tailed Beast Chakra. After releasing the flame in a training room, he began passing his Chakra through it, and the process started stripping away impurities and changing it.

• Fugaku and Gekko urged Aozora to reconsider the dangerous cultivation, but Aozora showed them his nearly mastered Blaze Release to demonstrate his resistance to intense heat.
• Fugaku ordered Gekko to prepare medicines, instruments, and Medical Ninjas while Aozora entered the training room and readied himself.
• Aozora released a ghostly blue flame from a Sealing Scroll, and Fugaku identified its Chakra as Ghost Fire associated with the Two-Tails.
• Aozora sat beside the flame and circulated orange-red Chakra from his right palm through it, then received it back through his left as the fire removed impurities and began changing the Chakra.

Aozora endured a dangerous Ghost Fire refinement until his Fire Release Chakra transformed, then discovered his meridians had healed and he had advanced in the Lightning Fire Golden Body. He demonstrated his strengthened Chakra to Fugaku, who stopped Gekko from seeking Aozora’s cells for the clan.

• Aozora repeatedly refined his Fire Release Chakra with Ghost Fire, enduring intense pain as his meridians blistered and his Chakra neared transformation.
• Aozora’s Chakra became a tiny orange sun, and he called for help; Gekko, two Medical Ninjas, and Fugaku rushed in to examine him.
• Gekko found that Aozora was mostly unharmed, and Aozora realized his meridians had recovered after he broke through a Lightning Fire Golden Body bottleneck.
• Gekko suggested using Aozora’s highly active cells for the clan, but Fugaku threatened him and warned that such requests could lead to demands for Uchiha eyes.
• Aozora showed Fugaku his transformed Chakra by pitting an orange flame against the remaining Ghost Fire, and the orange flame prevailed.

Fugaku tested Aozora’s Blaze Release and strength in a spar, discovering that Aozora’s fire techniques had become exceptionally powerful. The two continued their fight with kunai and taijutsu, with Fugaku eager to see whether Aozora could become the strongest person in the Shinobi World.

• Fugaku asked Aozora to demonstrate Blaze Release and arranged to assess his fighting ability.
• Aozora and Fugaku faced off at Training Ground 35, where Fugaku took Aozora seriously and prepared to use sixty percent of his strength.
• Aozora’s Blaze Release Great Fireball overwhelmed Fugaku’s Great Fireball, and Fugaku destroyed the remaining flames with Great Fire Dragon Bullet.
• Fugaku urged Aozora to use all his strength and show whether he had the potential to become the strongest person in the Shinobi World.
• Aozora attacked with three chakra-controlled kunai, and Fugaku dodged one and knocked the other two aside.
• Aozora rushed Fugaku, and they engaged in fierce taijutsu combat with kunai.

Yashiro and the Flying Tigers witnessed Aozora spar with Fugaku, who ultimately overcame Aozora with the fearsome power of his gaze. As Yashiro explained Fugaku’s old title, the story revealed how his eyes could freeze an enemy in terror.

• Yashiro warned the Flying Tigers that their positions would depend on their strength and began their training.
• A huge fireball drew Yashiro, Keita, Akaki, and Shūichi to a wasteland, where they found Fugaku fighting Aozora.
• Aozora gained the upper hand in close combat by using Earth Shrink and the Body Flicker Technique to disrupt Fugaku’s predictions.
• Fugaku’s intense gaze immobilized Aozora, who broke free, noticed the mark on his neck, and conceded the spar.
• Fugaku ordered Yashiro and the others to clean up the scattered flames, then left with Aozora.
• As the Flying Tigers cleaned up, Yashiro explained that Fugaku had been called Fierce Eye because enemies could be frozen with fear when he looked at them.

Aozora cleared Fugaku’s suspicions about the Secret Techniques he had developed, and Fugaku chose to trust him and support his work. After their spar, Aozora remained troubled by Fugaku’s powerful genjutsu and resolved to cultivate his Yin-Yang Eye toward the Mangekyo.

• Fugaku questioned Aozora about how a twelve-year-old had obtained three powerful Secret Techniques, and Aozora insisted he had developed them himself.
• Aozora explained that he created Muscle and Bone Strengthening by reversing the Chakra Extraction Method and developed his Body Tempering Secret Technique from the Lightning Style Cell Stimulation Method and Might Guy’s teachings.
• Fugaku accepted Aozora’s explanations, apologized for doubting him, and decided not to ask for the Secret Techniques yet.
• Fugaku reminded Aozora that Itachi was waiting for lessons, and Aozora headed back toward the Clan Compound.
• Aozora reflected on being subdued by Fugaku’s glance and resolved to cultivate his Yin-Yang Eye and reach the Mangekyo as soon as possible.

Aozora discovered that Itachi wanted to graduate early to help the Uchiha and Konoha, and persuaded him to remain at the Ninja Academy. After considering the danger to Itachi and the burden his early graduation would place on others, Aozora sent him home and prepared to welcome Shisui.

• Aozora found Itachi training in the courtyard and asked what he had gained from practicing Guidance and Qi Cultivation.
• Itachi admitted he had been saving Chakra because he wanted to graduate early and contribute to the clan and village.
• Aozora argued that early graduation would expose Itachi to danger and make his family and the village divert resources to protect him.
• Itachi accepted Aozora's advice to stay at the Ninja Academy, and Aozora trained him in ninja tools, taijutsu, and ninjutsu before sending him home.
• Aozora worried that Obito might target the Uchiha and prepared a lavish dinner to welcome Shisui home.

After cleansing his Chakra of Ghost Fire, Aozora practiced his transformed Fire Release at the Naka River and caused a dramatic spectacle. He brought fish and other game back to the Uchiha Clan Compound, then invited Clan Members to a dinner gathering, where the guests began arriving.

• On December 23rd, Aozora confirmed that Ghost Fire had been purged from his Chakra and planned to continue cultivating the Lightning Fire Golden Body.
• Aozora unleashed powerful Fire Release techniques at the Naka River, melting ice and scorching the water until rising vapor formed rain; the Konoha Military Police arrived but left him to train.
• After his Chakra was nearly depleted, Aozora used his Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger to catch fish, gave some to Clan Members, and received game in return.
• Aozora decided to host a dinner at home and sent five Shadow Clones to deliver invitations.
• Itachi and Sasuke arrived first, followed by Gen'an and Gen'ka, Shūichi and Shingo, and Inabi and Tekka; Kyūdai arrived alone last.

Aozora hosted a snowy-night banquet for his friends, where they ate, teased one another, and learned that he had caused the fog over the Naka River while practicing ninjutsu. As the gathering continued, Shisui entered the Hokage's Office for the second time since joining the Shadow Guard.

• Itachi brought Sasuke to Aozora's house, and Aozora welcomed them with food and promised to teach them Ninja Tool Throwing.
• Gen'an, Gen'ka, Shūichi, Shingo, Tekka, Inabi, and Kyūdai joined the banquet, where Aozora served a lavish meal and joked about his talents.
• Inabi recounted how a subordinate had found thick fog at the Naka River, and Aozora admitted he had been practicing a newly learned ninjutsu there.
• Tekka teased Aozora about finding a girlfriend, and Aozora told Kyūdai to marry and have children to continue his family line.
• As Aozora's friends enjoyed the banquet amid the falling snow, Shisui entered the Hokage's Office for the second time after joining the Shadow Guard.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Shisui, Aoba, and Ougata to reinforce the Shadow Guard pursuing Kurama Murakumo and uncover Danzo’s whereabouts. At home, Aozora deduced that Shisui’s mission involved Danzo and warned him about Danzo’s abilities, leaving Shisui uneasy about whether the Hokage truly trusted him.

• A Shadow Guard member reported that Kurama Murakumo had appeared in Tenbara City while Danzo remained missing, and Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Shisui, Aoba, and Ougata to join the pursuit.
• Shinnosuke asked to join the mission, but Sarutobi Hiruzen refused and urged him to stay with his pregnant wife, Minako.
• Shisui returned home to find Aozora had hosted clan members for dinner and encouraged him to reconnect with the Uchiha clan.
• Aozora questioned Shisui about Shadow Guard missions and deduced from his reactions that the new mission was to capture Danzo.
• Aozora warned Shisui that Danzo was exceptionally dangerous and might use Izanagi, and Shisui left dinner wondering whether Sarutobi Hiruzen had assigned him the mission out of trust.

Aozora advised Fugaku on how to handle Uchiha opposition to reforming the Konoha Military Police Force. He proposed fair competition for its positions and urged the clan to build a Second Lair beyond Konoha, leaving Fugaku and Kyūdai to consider his strategy.

• Aozora arrived at Fugaku's home and saw Uchiha Clan Members protesting the recruitment of civilian ninja into the Konoha Military Police Force.
• Fugaku asked Aozora and Kyūdai for their opinions, and Aozora argued that the elders' resistance was understandable even though reform should continue.
• Aozora proposed recruiting both clan and civilian ninja, then using a competition with villagers' satisfaction as one criterion to decide who remained in the Police Force.
• With Fugaku's permission, Aozora explained the Three Rabbit Holes strategy to Kyūdai, including the Uchiha's Kyoto City fallback and the Second Elder's intelligence-gathering work there.
• Aozora warned that Konoha's shifting balance of power made the Uchiha's ambitions likely to provoke other factions, and proposed improving the clan's image while establishing a Second Lair beyond Konoha.

Aozora proposed sending surplus Uchiha members to Kyoto City to establish a second base, but Fugaku argued that the clan needed its strength in Konoha while war threatened. Aozora still supported the plan, even after learning Fugaku hoped to become Hokage.

• Aozora suggested replacing some Uchiha elites in the Konoha Military Police Force with lower-ranking clan members and sending the elites to develop Kyoto City.
• Kyūdai objected that village inspections and Uchiha pride would make it difficult for clan members to leave secretly, so Aozora proposed using a speech to persuade them to go.
• Fugaku praised Aozora's proposal but warned that dividing the clan's forces could cost the Uchiha opportunities to gain merit amid tensions with Cloud and Iwagakure.
• Aozora maintained that the Uchiha should establish a second base in Kyoto City, while Fugaku explained that he wanted to earn the prestige needed to become Hokage.
• Aozora asked whether becoming Hokage was worth the effort, and Fugaku remained silent after Aozora dismissed it as merely a village office.

Aozora challenged Fugaku and Kyūdai’s reverence for the Hokage and argued that Uchiha strength should be used strategically rather than concentrated on the front lines. Fugaku accepted his case for building a hidden Uchiha base in Kyoto City, and they began planning how to place clan members in the Daimyo’s military system.

• Aozora called the Hokage a village official, provoking Kyūdai and drawing Fugaku into an argument about the Hokage’s authority and strength.
• Aozora argued that Fugaku’s bid for Hokage depended on Fugaku’s own merits and reputation, not the Uchiha clan’s collective achievements.
• Aozora warned that sending many inexperienced Uchiha to war would cause heavy losses and make other Konoha shinobi fear Uchiha control.
• Aozora proposed moving excess Uchiha strength to Kyoto City to establish a second base, reduce casualties, and gain the Daimyo’s support for Fugaku.
• Fugaku agreed to discuss the plan, and the three decided to recruit outstanding Uchiha secretly in batches for the Daimyo’s Mansion military system.

Fugaku put Aozora in charge of the Uchiha clan’s secret Kyoto City infiltration plan after Aozora helped develop its recruitment and communication methods. Aozora secured support for his requests and named the operation Project Sleeping Dragon, as the clan prepared to formalize the plan.

• Aozora answered Fugaku’s questions about recruiting operatives and communicating securely, impressing Fugaku with his thorough planning.
• Fugaku assigned Aozora responsibility for the Kyoto City plan, and Aozora accepted after considering how it would affect his training and the clan’s goals.
• Aozora asked Fugaku about the Sharingan awakening trials, and Fugaku explained that only one of twenty test subjects awakened the Sharingan while several suffered mental trauma.
• Aozora argued that the test subjects’ weak Spiritual Power and willpower, rather than the ritual itself, explained the low success rate, and asked Fugaku to conduct future rituals and help secure personnel.
• Fugaku asked Kyūdai to write up the plan as a top-secret proposal, and Aozora suggested naming it Project Sleeping Dragon and its team the Sleeping Dragon Team.