Chapter Summaries

Yichen led a large team to the Land of Demons to build a new branch and clear bandits, bringing his disciples and Uzumaki Riori along. During the journey, he made Riori study the Great Fireball Jutsu and assessed Sokai’s Sharingan training, leaving Sokai practicing genjutsu against him.

• Yichen persuaded Ikura to approve his trip to the Land of Demons, agreeing to bring a shark-summoning ninja and remain in contact with the village.
• Yichen led several hundred ninjas, including Sokai, Chiga, Sasagawa Ayumi, Atsumi Akino, and Kawazoe Yura, toward the Land of Demons to build the branch.
• Uzumaki Riori joined the team’s work with her Shadow Clones, but Yichen gave her a Great Fireball Jutsu scroll and ordered her to learn it.
• Atsumi Akino helped Riori understand the scroll, and Yichen had her train the jutsu with more than a hundred Shadow Clones.
• Yichen asked Sokai about his Sharingan progress, then raised Earth Walls and had Sokai cast his Sharingan genjutsu on him.

Yichen oversaw the new Iwagakure branch in the Land of Demons, took Shion as his disciple, and set training plans for his students. He then weighed how to pursue his goal of fusing all five chakra attributes, uncertain whether developing the remaining Kekkei Genkai would take too long.

• Yichen tested Sokai's Sharingan genjutsu and gave him detailed advice that improved his technique during the journey.
• Miroku welcomed Yichen at the Land of Demons branch site, and Yichen asked to take Shion as his disciple; Miroku agreed.
• Yichen arranged construction of the branch and sent Uzumaki Riori and the other Anbu to clear the Land of Demons of rogue ninja and criminals.
• Yichen assigned Sokai, Chiga, and Ayumi training suited to their abilities, and planned to give Ayumi materials on the Kurama Clan's painting-based genjutsu.
• Yichen considered pursuing the seven Kekkei Genkai combinations he had not yet developed, but worried that the difficult process would take too long.

Yichen weighed three ways to develop his power and chose to fully master Light Release and integrate it into his body. He began planning how to advance his Light Release techniques and resolved to seek Ōnoki's guidance.

• Yichen compared developing more Kekkei Genkai, creating additional Kekkei Tōta, and fully integrating Light Release, recognizing the risks and benefits of each path.
• Sokai complained to Chiga about their basic training, and Chiga explained how it strengthened their foundations and raised their limits, drawing on what Tomoko had taught him.
• After overhearing his disciples, Yichen chose to devote himself to mastering Light Release and merging it with his body.
• Yichen reviewed the difference between the instantaneous World Splitter Jutsu and the sustained, adjustable Limit Splitter Jutsu, identifying sustainability and control as the skills he needed to develop.
• Yichen recognized that he had neglected Light Release practice and decided to seek Ōnoki's guidance on Dust Release again.

Yichen studied Ōnoki’s insights into Dust Release, then practiced Light Release and discovered that his improved Yin Release had greatly enhanced his chakra control and Ninjutsu. He achieved hand seal-less Porcelain Release and, after assigning his disciples extra training, sent his observations about Yin Release to the village.

• Yichen requested Ōnoki’s Dust Release insights and received a prepared scroll containing the Second Tsuchikage Mu’s and Ōnoki’s experiences.
• After studying the scroll for several days, Yichen practiced Light Release and punched a precise hole through a distant mountain.
• Yichen tested his regular Ninjutsu and found that his hand seal speed, chakra control, and Earth Release power had improved, which he suspected was caused by Yin Release reaching its third stage.
• Yichen used Porcelain Release: Kunai Rain without forming hand seals, achieving hand seal-less Porcelain Release after years of development.
• Yichen showed Sokai and the other disciples the hole made by Light Release, then doubled their basic training time.
• Yichen returned to the branch training ground and sent the village his theory about Yin Release’s effects.

Yichen investigated four indestructible Terracotta Warrior Puppets discovered by Shironeko's squad and traced them to an abandoned ritual site. After Chiga used Yomi's blood to locate him, Yichen pursued Yomi while Shironeko's squad searched the nearby village.

• Shironeko brought four immortal Terracotta Warrior Puppets to Yichen, who sealed them away and took the squad to where they had been found.
• Yichen used Sage Mode to locate and raise a buried cave, where he discovered blood and runes at an unfinished ritual site.
• Uzumaki Riori confirmed four puppets were missing from the vast formation, and Yichen sealed away four more before leaving.
• Yichen had Chiga eat Yomi's blood, and she sensed that its owner was fleeing south.
• Yichen sent Shironeko's squad to inspect a village while he pursued Yomi underground.

Yichen captured Yomi and imprisoned him to research Moryo’s Power, then completed his Light Release training and opened Iwagakure’s new branch in the Land of Demons. Miroku moved to settle at the branch and planned for Shion to attend its Ninja Academy.

• Yichen captured Yomi, sealed his Chakra, and offered him a chance to live if he served and conducted useful research during ten years in prison.
• Yichen brought Yomi to the branch, where Miroku sealed Moryo’s Power inside him, and arranged for him to be imprisoned in an underground laboratory under Anbu surveillance.
• Yichen spent half a month testing the Ninjutsu he knew, then tricked Uzumaki Riori by returning four motionless Terracotta Warriors instead of her toys.
• Yichen refined the Light Release Limit Splitter Jutsu until he could direct its beam precisely between targets, then prepared to improve its endurance.
• Yichen officially opened the Land of Demons Branch and told Miroku she could issue missions there.
• Miroku told Yichen she would settle at the branch and that Shion would attend its Ninja Academy in two years, with no need to inherit the daimyo’s position.

After returning to Iwagakure, Yichen heard updates on the village’s research and the wider ninja world, then discussed his plans to visit Orochimaru’s village. The meeting ended with Mei pressuring Ikura and Yichen about having children, and Yichen awkwardly changing the subject to Riori and Neji.

• Yichen returned to Iwagakure after the Land of Demons operation, and Ikura told him Matsutani Shinya had quickly mastered Sage Mode.
• Mei reported progress in Kanako’s Paper Style and Exploding Tag production, while Saka said Sunagakure and the Cloud ninja still occupied territory and the Land of Bears faced disorder.
• Tomoko discussed the coming Joint Chunin Exams, and Yichen said he would skip them to visit Orochimaru’s ninja village after handling his duties and meeting the Third Lord in the Land of Fields.
• Yichen proposed using the puppets he brought back to test the newly organized Soul Seals and explained that Yomi was an untrustworthy but useful researcher.
• Tomoko praised Uzumaki Riori’s performance, and Mei urged Ikura to have a child with Yumi before asking when Yichen would marry.
• Yichen said he was looking for someone and changed the subject by asking Captain Kurotsuchi to have Riori take Neji out for walks.

Yichen investigated a strange grave with Ōnoki and Sokai, uncovering a genjutsu space tied to an Uchiha ancestor. As the ancestor’s memories played, Sokai became immersed in them and his Yin Release aura rose sharply.

• Yichen sent Matsutani Shinya to the Land of Snow and later traveled with his disciples to meet Ōnoki in the Land of Fields.
• Ōnoki told Yichen about a grave that might contain an Uchiha, and Yichen sensed a strong, unusual yin aura around its coffin.
• That night, Yichen and Sokai entered the grave and Sokai touched the coffin, triggering a blood-red genjutsu space.
• The genjutsu showed fragments of its owner’s life, including betrayal by a childhood friend that led to the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Yichen noticed Sokai’s Yin Release aura make a qualitative leap and judged that Sokai was approaching Three Tomoe.

Yichen and Sokai escaped the Genjutsu Space with new powers, and Yichen discovered that the Yata Mirror had attached itself to his soul while Sokai's Sharingan had evolved. After sharing the discovery with Ōnoki and Kawakita, Yichen and Ōnoki continued their Kekkei Tōta experiments, ending with a dangerous clash between Dust Release and Light Release.

• Yichen woke Sokai from the Genjutsu Space and followed the connection back to his body, where he found the Yata Mirror attached to his soul.
• Yichen told Ōnoki that Sokai's Sharingan had evolved; Sokai discovered that one eye had two tomoe and the other had three.
• Yichen revealed that the Uchiha's Totsuka Blade might have attached itself to Sokai, while Sokai denied taking it.
• Yichen recounted the previous night's events to Kawakita and promised to show him the Yata Mirror after learning the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
• Yichen and Ōnoki stayed in the secluded area for more than ten days to test Kekkei Tōta, culminating in their Dust Release and Light Release techniques annihilating each other and part of a mountainside.

Yichen traveled to Uzushio Village and made a new deal with Orochimaru, exchanging access to a supergravity space, a Terracotta Warrior Puppet, and a White Zetsu clone for ninjutsu and research. After Orochimaru shared an additional scroll, Yichen stayed to train with Ōnoki and guide his team.

• Yichen flew with his group to Uzushio Village and sent Ōnoki and Uchiyama Takuhiro into its supergravity space to train.
• Orochimaru arrived after Yichen summoned him, and Yichen offered him access to the space, a Terracotta Warrior Puppet, and a White Zetsu clone.
• Orochimaru traded the Super Beast Imitation Drawing Technique, a B-rank Genjutsu, and his Caged Bird research and information for Yichen's offerings.
• Yichen described Iwagakure's Tenseigan-related ninjutsu to Orochimaru for free, and Orochimaru gave him a scroll of intelligence before leaving.
• Yichen stayed near Uzushio Village for half a month, training in Light Release with Ōnoki and guiding his disciples as Sokai practiced close combat against Little Rhino Dog.

Yichen and his allies trained in Supergravity Space before returning to Iwagakure, where they discussed Orochimaru’s intelligence about Obito Uchiha and Danzo targeting the Uchiha Clan. They decided to covertly support the Uchiha Clan’s conflict with Konoha while making Sunagakure or the Cloud ninja appear responsible.

• Ōnoki and Uchiyama Takuhiro improved their gravity techniques through training in Supergravity Space, and Uchiyama Takuhiro reached Elite Jonin.
• Ōnoki warned Yichen to be cautious about merging Light Release into his body, then parted ways with Yichen’s group.
• Yichen told Iwagakure’s advisers that Obito Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan had transformed his personality and that the Uchiha Clan could be guided by offering recognition.
• Yichen dismissed the Uchiha Clan’s chances of successfully taking power and explained that Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha had been influenced by Konoha’s Will of Fire.
• Saka proposed supporting the Uchiha Clan to intensify its conflict with Konoha, and Yichen agreed to conceal Iwagakure’s involvement by blaming Sunagakure or the Cloud ninja.

Yichen discussed the Cloud ninja’s possible attack on Kirigakure and sent Ikura there in secret to assist as an ally. Meanwhile, intelligence about an Uchiha defector targeting Konoha’s Uchiha reached Rasa and Kakashi, leaving Kakashi searching for the threat as Tsunade and Fugaku began cooperating.

• Ikura told Yichen that the Kirigakure Joint Chunin Exams had reached their third round and warned that the Cloud ninja might attack; Yichen ordered intelligence gathered and approved Ikura’s secret deployment.
• Rasa read the Tsuchikage’s warning about an Uchiha defector plotting with Danzō and discussed how Sunagakure could profit from Konoha’s turmoil with Pakura, Baki, and Ryosuke.
• Ikura told Kisame Hoshigaki that he had come to help Kirigakure defend against a possible Cloud ninja attack, and Kisame asked him to wait at the reception quarters.
• Kakashi received intelligence about the Uchiha defector, decided to protect the Uchiha family, requested leave from Tsunade, and searched near Root headquarters for clues.
• Tsunade continued consolidating control of Konoha and met formally with Fugaku Uchiha while Shisui Uchiha and Kakashi guarded outside; both leaders left in good moods.

The Cloud ninja declared war on Kirigakure during the Chunin Exams, but Kisame and the prepared Mist forces countered their attack. As the battle raged, Yichen and Sokai reached Konoha and began setting their own plan in motion, while Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and Rasa prepared to respond.

• Tomoko sensed the Cloud ninja's attack coming and led six Iwa contestants away from the stands, telling them to prepare to fight the Cloud ninja.
• Yotsuki A declared war on the Mist ninja, but Kisame used a barrier and the lake to seize the initiative and battle him alone.
• The Mist ninja intercepted the Cloud Ninja Army more than ten kilometers from Kirigakure while Kisame tried to wear Yotsuki A down.
• Yichen and Sokai arrived on Konoha's outskirts, where Sokai agreed that the Uchiha Clan had been unfairly treated and accepted Yichen's plan.
• Yichen sent a Signal Flare that put Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo on alert, while Rasa chose to wait and see what the Tsuchikage would do.

A masked envoy warned the Uchiha that Danzō planned to destroy their clan and gave them the Izanagi technique, triggering a surge of anger and infighting. Shisui Uchiha awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan while trying to stop his clansmen, leaving the Uchiha excited by the emergence of a powerful new leader.

• A rock clone posing as a Tsuchikage envoy delivered Izanagi scrolls and warned the Uchiha that Danzō intended to wipe out their clan.
• The Uchiha spread Izanagi through the clan, armed themselves with stored Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and began openly expressing hostility toward Konoha's high-ranking officials.
• Yichen and Sokai Uchiha infiltrated near the clan grounds as infighting erupted, while Shisui Uchiha tried to calm the crowd by praising the village leadership.
• The Uchiha turned against Shisui when he asked them to remain inside the clan grounds and said he would persuade the high-ranking officials to forgive them.
• As his clansmen attacked and insulted him, Shisui Uchiha awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Uchiha crowd stopped to celebrate his newfound power.

Shisui Uchiha’s appeal to trust Konoha’s leaders enraged the Uchiha after his Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, while Sokai and Izumi Uchiha awakened Mangekyō Sharingan of their own. Yichen fled with Sokai as Shisui pursued them, and their clash helped set off a coordinated assault on Konoha by multiple Kage-level enemies.

• Yichen told Sokai and the Uchiha that Shisui Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but Shisui urged the clan to trust Konoha’s leaders and reignited their anger.
• Sokai awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, followed by Izumi Uchiha, while the rest of the clan watched in shock.
• Yichen sealed Sokai’s eyes and escaped with him, and Shisui pursued them as the Uchiha surrounded Izumi and prepared to protect her.
• Fugaku hesitated over whether to use the Izanagi scroll, then learned that three Uchiha had awakened Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Yichen carried Sokai through Konoha while Shisui chased them, and Rasa, Ryosuke, Kakuzu, and Orochimaru launched attacks on the village.
• Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Konoha’s defenses fall under the assault of six Kage-level enemies.

The Cloud and Mist armies fought a sprawling battle near Kirigakure while Iwagakure’s forces moved to block the Cloud’s retreat and defend their own village. With Iwagakure’s leaders scattered across the war, Mei remained in the village and prepared for the threat of Killer B’s approach.

• Obito stopped himself from using Kamui after he noticed the white hair behind a rushing Anbu’s mask.
• Kitsuchi led two thousand Iwa ninja toward the Land of the Falls, where a Konoha army of about fifteen hundred blocked his route.
• Darui sent Yugito into the melee, but Ikura drove her away from the central battlefield; Mei Terumi and Hozuki Mangetsu then engaged Darui and Shia.
• Mei Terumi and Darui fought at range while Hozuki Mangetsu and Shia clashed with swords, as Kisame continued wearing down Yotsuki A inside the Water World.
• Mei dispatched Han to intercept Killer B near the Land of Earth’s coast and asked Matsutani Shinya to reinforce Iwagakure’s defenses.
• Mei contacted the Third Lord to prepare for a possible return, then watched over Iwagakure as its other leaders remained away.

Sunagakure marched to attack Iwa ninja, but Chiyo’s caution exposed a hidden force of three Kage-level combatants led by Ōnoki. Faced with overwhelming odds, Chiyo ordered a retreat and stopped Pakura from sacrificing herself to cover the army.

• Five thousand Sunagakure ninja marched toward the Iwa force under Saka, who ordered his troops to retreat and appear panicked.
• Chiyo warned Pakura that Saka was dangerous and told her to spread out the army and watch for Ōnoki and the Tailed Beast.
• Pakura attacked Iwa’s defensive line with Scorch Release, but Chiyo recalled her when Ōnoki appeared behind the Iwa army.
• After learning Iwa had no reinforcements, Chiyo ordered Sunagakure to retreat, but Ōnoki launched an attack with Roshi and Kawakita.
• Chiyo recognized Kawakita as a newly advanced Kage-level combatant and judged that Sunagakure could not win against three such fighters.
• Pakura offered to attack Iwa’s army to protect the retreating troops, but Chiyo rebuked her and Pakura withdrew with the army.

Tsunade divided Konoha’s forces among several battlefields while Yichen evaded Shisui and used his restored Mind’s Eye to survey the village. After spotting Obito Uchiha atop Hokage Rock, Yichen alerted Kakashi, who set out to confront him.

• Tsunade assigned Hiruzen Sarutobi to fight Kakuzu, herself to face Orochimaru, Kakashi’s forces and the Seven-Tails to stop Rasa and Ryosuke, and Danzo’s Root to monitor the Uchiha Clan.
• Danzo accepted Tsunade’s orders to confront the Uchiha and lend the Seven-Tails to the fight against Rasa.
• Obito Uchiha watched the chaos from Hokage Rock and considered targeting Yichen, unaware that Yichen’s Mind’s Eye had recovered.
• Yichen led Shisui Uchiha to a civilian home, knocked out its occupants, and used his restored Mind’s Eye in Sage Mode to survey Konoha from up to eighty kilometers away.
• Yichen detected White Zetsu clones underground and found Obito Uchiha atop Hokage Rock, then sent the words “Hokage Rock” to Kakashi using stones.
• Kakashi recognized Obito Uchiha as the Uchiha traitor and left to confront him after Shikaku Nara agreed to let him go.

Yichen trapped Shisui Uchiha in Porcelain Mud, and Shisui’s Susanoo caused chaos among the Konoha forces before they freed him. As Shisui joined the fight against Rasa, Danzo’s attack on an Uchiha Jonin ignited a battle between Root and the Uchiha Clan.

• Yichen warned Sokai not to overuse his Mangekyō Sharingan, then left him to recover while he confronted Shisui Uchiha.
• Yichen surrounded Shisui with Porcelain Mud, and Shisui awakened Susanoo, expanding the mud into a giant sphere.
• Yichen used an Earth Style Clone to lighten and hurl the sphere at Shikaku Nara’s army, where Shisui’s Susanoo struck Konoha ninja as it struggled free.
• Shikaku recognized Shisui inside the mud giant, coordinated with Inoichi Yamanaka to calm him, and had the army wash away the mud while Yichen escaped with Sokai and the civilians.
• Rasa sealed the Seven-Tails and its Jinchuriki while Konoha dealt with the mud giant, then Shisui attacked Rasa with Susanoo and overwhelmed him.
• Danzo attacked an Uchiha Jonin after a Uchiha threw a kunai at Root, and Fugaku Uchiha’s intervention triggered a battle between Root and the Uchiha Clan.

Kakashi fought the masked Obito Uchiha and pierced his heart, but Obito escaped and survived with help from his White Zetsu clone. Elsewhere, Kitsuchi’s Iwa force defeated Konoha’s troops and withdrew, while Ikura and Tomoko pursued the Cloud ninja toward the Raikage.

• Kakashi challenged Obito Uchiha on the Fourth Hokage's statue, defeated him in combat, and pierced his heart with Chidori.
• Obito Uchiha escaped to the Kamui Space, where he used a genjutsu to make his White Zetsu clone and Hashirama Cells repair his shattered heart.
• Kitsuchi’s two thousand Iwa ninja finished clearing the battlefield after defeating fifteen hundred Konoha ninja, then turned back to defend their village.
• Ikura blasted Yugito out of her Two-Tails form with three Great Five Elemental Bullet Techniques, while Darui rescued her and led the Cloud ninja’s retreat.
• Tomoko persuaded Ikura to pursue the Raikage’s route and wait in ambush for the senjutsu-using Cloud ninja.