Chapter Summaries

Shuji rejected Fugaku’s theory that the Senju planned to reorganize and challenged his belief that cooperation could prevent a clash between the Uchiha and the village. Fugaku was left shaken as Shuji laid out why the Uchiha’s position would not improve without change.

• Fugaku decided to consider what Shuji and Itachi had discussed, while Itachi remained silent.
• Senju Toka warned Shuji not to expect too much from scattered former Senju clansmen, and Shuji considered how they could influence village opinion.
• Fugaku asked Shuji in private whether the Senju clan intended to reorganize, and Shuji said they would not.
• Fugaku argued that the Uchiha and Senju should work together to avert disaster, but Shuji questioned his confidence that both the Uchiha and the village would suffer equally.
• Shuji listed the Uchiha’s monopoly over the Police Force and unresolved questions about the Nine-Tails Rebellion, leaving Fugaku visibly shaken.

Shuji pressed Uchiha Fugaku to make room for outsiders in the Police Force and demanded detailed records of its members. After leaving Fugaku to decide whether to cooperate, Shuji went to the Forbidden Technique Room to study the Flying Thunder God as a counter to Uchiha Obito's Kamui.

• Fugaku told Shuji that the Uchiha could not give up the Police Force, but might expand it if the village funded another squad.
• Shuji rejected expansion and asked Fugaku whether he could replace Uchiha members within the force's existing slots.
• Fugaku said he could try, but asked Shuji to guarantee it would ease tensions; Shuji warned that Fugaku would likely fail if he pushed the plan in his current state.
• Shuji demanded detailed records of every Police Force member for Itachi to deliver, and threatened to treat Fugaku as an enemy if he refused.
• Shuji left Fugaku and went to the Forbidden Technique Room, where he began studying the Flying Thunder God to prepare for Uchiha Obito's Kamui.

Shuji studied the Flying Thunder God while Itachi sought comfort from Izumi and decided to ask his captain for guidance. Fugaku entrusted Itachi with a confidential document for Shuji, signaling that the Uchiha were willing to consider his proposal.

• Shuji spent two days studying the Flying Thunder God and realized he would have to learn the formula-setting himself.
• Itachi met Izumi by the Naka River and admitted that he was troubled by a problem he could not solve.
• Izumi encouraged Itachi to ask his trusted senior for help, and Itachi decided to visit his captain.
• Fugaku considered Shuji's proposal to share Police Force positions with other clans and weighed the risks and costs to the Uchiha.
• Fugaku asked Itachi whether he trusted his captain, then ordered him to deliver a confidential document to Shuji with Shisui accompanying him secretly.

Shuji reviewed the Police Force personnel records and outlined a gradual plan to reduce Uchiha control of the force while preserving the clan. He sent Itachi to verify the records and reassure Fugaku, leaving the plan in preparation as Shuji sought more time and strength.

• Itachi offered to cooperate with Shuji, who divided the Uchiha in the Police Force into radicals, conservatives, and ordinary members.
• Shuji asked Itachi to identify the most extreme members and those open to negotiation, and told him not to kill any clansmen.
• Shuji instructed Itachi to tell Fugaku that he would seek the Third Hokage’s approval to transfer Uchiha elites into the Anbu, creating vacancies in the Police Force.
• Shuji explained that the plan remained preliminary and required more time, accurate intelligence, and greater strength before it could be carried out.
• Itachi declined Shuji’s invitation to eat because he needed to return the documents and Shisui was waiting outside.

Shuji reunited with his former Academy classmates Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, and Hyuga Tokuma, then spent time with them as they discussed the Kumogakure delegation and Tokuma’s clan duties. At an izakaya, Hayami Shigeru helped Shuji with a mission report and spoke about the need for the Hagane and Kamizuki families to unite.

• Shuji encountered Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, and Hyuga Tokuma, and they invited him to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate his promotion.
• The classmates discussed the Kumogakure delegation and the war with Iwagakure, while Tokuma explained he would miss the delegation’s arrival because of the Hyuga Main House’s eldest daughter’s third birthday.
• Kotetsu and Izumo tried to take Shuji into a karaoke izakaya, but Hayami Shigeru intercepted them and led the boys to Mountain House instead.
• Hayami explained that the Hagane and Kamizuki families had stayed disbanded out of respect for Lord Hashirama’s orders.
• Hayami told Shuji that the village would reimburse his equipment losses and that he had corrected a problem with Shuji’s mission report.
• Hayami urged Shuji to help unite their families and left him with a glass of water while he went to rescue Kotetsu and Izumo from their milk.

Team Five, joined by Might Guy, investigated repeated attacks on the Kumogakure envoy’s route and repelled several groups of ordinary ninja. The team discovered fresh footprints from a mysterious watcher who vanished without leaving any other trace.

• The Third Hokage assigned Might Guy to Team Five and ordered Shuji to lead their investigation of the envoy’s route.
• Shuji arranged for Itachi and Anko to scout the left sector while Guy served as mobile support and Shuji watched the right.
• Guy quickly defeated an unidentified squad that Anko and Itachi had tracked, while Shuji silently took down a four-person group in his sector.
• At the rendezvous, Shuji and Anko noted that the attackers seemed to be weak, assembled from small clans, and intent on delaying the envoy.
• Shuji sensed someone watching the team, left a Shadow Clone behind, and pursued the presence underground with Earth Release.
• Shuji, Guy, Anko, and Itachi reached the watcher’s location and found only fresh footprints before the person disappeared without a trace.

Uchiha Obito infiltrated the Kumogakure envoys’ camp and manipulated Akai into sabotaging the peace talks. After Team Five’s escort mission ended, Shuji returned to Konoha intending to warn the village to watch the envoy.

• Obito and Zetsu discussed Iwagakure’s hired attackers and the brief opening in the camp’s defenses.
• Obito killed two Kumogakure guards and used his Sharingan to order Akai to sabotage the peace talks, while White Zetsus replaced the dead guards.
• Akai convinced a Konoha patrol that the camp was safe, and the Kumogakure delegation reached its temporary farmstead without incident.
• Team Five received orders to return to Konoha, and Might Guy bid Shuji, Itachi, and Anko farewell.
• Shuji wondered about the attackers and a suspicious footprint, then decided to warn Konoha to keep an eye on Akai.

Shuji warned the village advisors about the Kumogakure envoys, then learned they supported a possible Senju revival while cautioning him about its opponents. After the envoys entered Konoha without incident, Shuji bought practice scrolls to work on sealing techniques and promised Anko dinner for helping carry them.

• Shuji told Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu that the Kumogakure envoys might pose a threat, and Koharu assured him the village had prepared its security measures.
• Homura and Koharu offered support if Shuji intended to rebuild the Senju clan, but Shuji denied having that intention and heard Homura warn that some people opposed the Senju's success.
• The village welcomed the three Kumogakure envoys after completing its preparations, and Shuji watched the welcoming crowd with Anko before leaving.
• Shuji bought one hundred practice scrolls from Aoki Aomori to train in sealing techniques, and Anko agreed to carry them after Shuji offered to treat her to dinner.

Shuji practiced sealing techniques while Konoha’s negotiations with Kumogakure stalled under Akai’s obstruction. Obito abducted the real Akai and replaced him, then attempted to kidnap Hinata, but Hyuga Hiashi stopped the intruder and discovered he was Kumogakure’s envoy.

• Shuji devoted his spare time to practicing sealing techniques as Konoha’s leaders watched the stalled negotiations with Akai.
• Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Hiruzen Sarutobi suspected Akai was stalling and increased surveillance on him.
• Obito pulled the real Akai into the Kamui dimension and replaced him with a White Zetsu, who fooled Konoha’s observers.
• Obito entered the Hyuga Compound and carried the sleeping Hinata out of her bedroom, triggering the alarm.
• Hyuga Hiashi intercepted the kidnapper, rescued Hinata, and recognized the unmasked intruder as Kumogakure’s envoy.

After Kumogakure envoy Akai was killed while trying to abduct Hyuga Hinata, Hiruzen Sarutobi convened Konoha’s leaders to assess the diplomatic and military danger. Shuji and Nara Shikaku concluded the incident might not signal a planned war, but the western front remained vulnerable, and Hiruzen ordered preparations to reinforce it.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that Akai had infiltrated the Hyuga Main House compound to abduct Hyuga Hinata and that Hyuga Hiashi had killed him.
• An Anbu reported that the other two Kumogakure shinobi were missing, prompting Nara Shikaku to warn that the alliance treaty could be jeopardized and call for precautions.
• Shuji asked about activity along the Land of Hot Water border, and Konoha’s intelligence officer reported no unusual Kumogakure movements.
• Shuji reasoned that Akai may have acted without orders to sabotage peace talks, while Nara Shikaku recognized that Iwagakure’s western offensive posed the greater immediate threat.
• Nara Shikaku urged Konoha to reinforce the Land of Hot Water front cautiously and send elite forces to the western front, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered everyone to prepare.

Shuji was promoted to jonin and sent with two teams to Sunagakure to explain the incident involving the Kumogakure delegation. Back in Konoha, Danzo concluded that an unknown space-time and genjutsu user had manipulated events and accused the Uchiha Clan.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi promoted Shuji to jonin and put him in charge of a diplomatic mission to Sunagakure.
• Shuji gathered Anko, Itachi, and the team of Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Iwashi Tatami, then led them out of Konoha.
• Konoha spread the account that Hyuga Hiashi had killed a Kumogakure envoy while defending his daughter, as the village mobilized and rumors spread.
• Danzo told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Root had maintained the food blockade against the Land of Lightning and sealed Chujie Port.
• Danzo cited evidence that Akai had been controlled by powerful genjutsu and argued that someone inside Konoha had manipulated the incident.
• Danzo concluded that the Uchiha Clan was behind the events.

Shuji and his Konoha team were ambushed by Iwagakure ninja in River Country Canyon while traveling to Sunagakure. Shuji turned the enemy’s attack against them, and the fight ended with six Iwagakure ninja dead and two still standing.

• Itachi told Shuji that the Third Hokage had asked about the Uchiha clan and its nighttime patrols, and Shuji suspected Uchiha Obito might be involved.
• Genma Shiranui spotted signs of concealed traps in River Country Canyon, and Shuji used Wind Release to expose the markings and reveal the ambush.
• Eight Iwagakure ninja attacked the team, but Genma, Namiashi Raidō, Anko, Iwashi Tatami, and Itachi fought back and killed three of them.
• An Iwagakure Jonin used Earth Release: Earth Flow River, but Shuji took control of the earth and trapped three attackers in stone coffins, bringing the score to six to zero.

Shuji’s Konoha team joined forces with Fengjuan’s Sunagakure patrol after fighting Iwagakure ninja, but Shuji recognized signs of a trap as they approached the Sand camp. Fengjuan revealed that Sunagakure and Iwagakure had allied against Konoha, and the chapter ended with the enemy surrounding Shuji’s team.

• Fengjuan’s Sunagakure ninja captured the surviving Iwagakure fighters after Shuji’s team defeated an ambush squad.
• Shuji claimed Konoha was on a mission for the Land of Rivers’ Feudal Lord, and Fengjuan proposed that their forces cooperate against the Iwagakure ninja.
• Anko handled the bodies while Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi exchanged subtle signals, and Shuji agreed to follow Fengjuan to the Sand camp.
• Near the camp, Shuji stopped when the Iwagakure prisoners had been freed and Fengjuan’s ninja spread out to surround the Konoha group.
• Fengjuan announced that Sunagakure and Iwagakure had allied to crush Konoha and declared that Shuji’s team’s doom had begun.

After a deadly clash with Sunagakure and Iwagakure ninja, Shuji suspected Iwagakure had staged the ambush to turn Konoha against its ally. He sent Genma's team back to warn Konoha and continued toward Sunagakure with Team Five, where they encountered a large force led by Baki.

• Shuji questioned why the Sunagakure ninja had fought to the death and concluded that Iwagakure might be manipulating events to make Konoha distrust Sunagakure.
• Shuji ordered Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi to return to Konoha with news of the ambush and his suspicions, while he continued the mission with Anko and Itachi.
• Anko and Itachi agreed to follow Shuji's decision, and Team Five set out toward Thread of Heaven.
• A large Sunagakure force emerged from the desert and confronted Team Five, with Baki asking Shuji's group why they had come.

Shuji, Anko, and Itachi entered Sunagakure to deliver Konoha’s warning about Iwagakure’s intentions and met with the advisor Ebizo. Ebizo challenged Konoha to offer terms for its alliance and revealed that Ōnoki’s envoy had arrived first with a gift for Konoha.

• Shuji presented the Third Hokage’s authorization, and Baki’s shinobi inspected it before allowing the Konoha team to enter Sunagakure.
• Baki led Shuji, Anko, and Itachi through the Thread of Heaven and made them wait while Sunagakure considered their request.
• Sunagakure summoned the Konoha team to meet Ebizo, who questioned why Konoha had come and accused it of seeking to preserve the alliance for its own survival.
• Shuji warned Ebizo that Iwagakure intended to attack Sunagakure while Konoha was occupied.
• Ebizo demanded to know what Konoha would offer and revealed that Ōnoki’s envoy had arrived before them with a generous gift for Konoha.

Shuji negotiated with Ebizo over Sunagakure’s support, arguing that Konoha would not pay an excessive price and presenting food supplies and mission quotas as bargaining chips. After reaching a rough agreement, Shuji killed the Iwagakure envoy Ebizo had brought in, leaving their supposed friendship intact only in words.

• Shuji reasoned that Sunagakure was using Iwagakure to pressure Konoha for a better offer and concluded that Konoha first needed to demonstrate its resolve.
• Ebizo demanded the Land of Rivers mission quota and further compensation, but Shuji warned that excessive demands could push Konoha to support Iwagakure instead.
• Shuji argued that Kumogakure could no longer fight effectively and that Ōnoki would prioritize Iwagakure’s interests over loyalty to Sunagakure.
• Shuji offered Sunagakure food intended for the Land of Lightning at the lowest price, while Ebizo demanded two-thirds of the Land of Rivers quota and the two sides haggled toward a consensus.
• Ebizo had the Iwagakure envoy brought into the room, and Shuji killed him with a kunai before thanking Ebizo for the gift.

Shuji and Ebizo reached a preliminary agreement in Sunagakure, while Konoha faced mounting pressure from Kumogakure and Kirigakure and remained uncertain about Sunagakure’s allegiance. Nara Shikaku recommended renewed peace talks with Kumogakure, and Mitokado Homura agreed to lead the delegation as Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared to escort it.

• Anko worried about the conditions Shuji accepted, and Shuji explained that his authority had been confirmed before he left and that he had intended to kill Iwagakure’s envoy regardless.
• Konoha’s leaders learned that Sunagakure ninja might have joined an ambush, Kumogakure had clashed with Konoha forces, and Kirigakure squads had scouted the eastern coast.
• Nara Shikaku assessed Kirigakure as a secondary threat and judged that Sunagakure was still wavering while Team Five remained out of contact.
• Nara Shikaku proposed maintaining pressure on Kumogakure while restarting peace talks to discourage war and influence Sunagakure’s decision.
• Mitokado Homura volunteered to lead the delegation to Kumogakure, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to escort it to the Land of Hot Water’s border.

Rasa weighed Sunagakure’s gains from its alliance with Konoha and met Konoha’s envoys to discuss supplies and military support. He rejected Konoha’s offer to send elite squads, preferring to take aid while keeping Sunagakure out of a wider conflict.

• Ebizo advised Rasa to secure food, supplies, and mission quotas rather than risk demanding land from Konoha.
• Ebizo told Rasa that Fengjuan had been found dead in the Land of Rivers, likely killed by Konoha’s people, and Rasa considered using his death to demand more.
• Rasa met Shuji, Anko, and Itachi and reaffirmed Sunagakure’s alliance with Konoha.
• Rasa said Sunagakure’s northern defensive line was secure and welcomed material assistance from Konoha.
• Shuji offered to send elite Konoha squads to support Sunagakure’s front, but Rasa declined, saying Konoha should focus on Kumogakure.

Shuji and Team Five negotiated with Sunagakure, then were hastily escorted back to the Land of Fire with the Kazekage's official reply. Shuji returned to Konoha reporting that the alliance remained intact, though Sunagakure's urgency left him suspicious.

• Rasa restricted Team Five's movements in Sunagakure, allowing them to visit only designated commercial districts under escort.
• Ebizo gave Shuji the Kazekage's reply and ordered Team Five to leave, insisting Sunagakure would not act until Konoha delivered its promised reinforcements.
• Shuji urged Ebizo to cooperate sincerely against Iwagakure, but Ebizo left without answering.
• The next morning, twelve Sunagakure ninja escorted Team Five rapidly toward the Land of Fire and turned back at the border.
• Shuji presented the Kazekage's reply to the Konoha border captain and said Sunagakure remained an ally.

Shuji returned to Konoha with Team Five after securing Sunagakure’s promise to maintain the alliance, though he warned that its support against Iwagakure was uncertain. After reporting to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other leaders, he went home with Anko and Itachi, and the exhausted team shared instant noodles before falling asleep.

• Ōnoki learned that Mitokado Homura had reached the Land of Hot Water on his way to Kumogakure and considered his next move against Sunagakure.
• Shuji learned that Konoha’s envoy was waiting in the Land of Hot Water and understood why Sunagakure had hurried Team Five back.
• Team Five arrived in Konoha, where Uchiha Fugaku checked them through the guarded gates.
• Shuji reported the terms of his negotiations with Ebizo and Rasa and cautioned that Sunagakure might still tacitly allow Iwagakure to attack.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other leaders praised Shuji’s work and sent him to rest.
• Shuji, Anko, and Itachi split two cups of instant noodles at Anko’s apartment, then fell asleep without cleaning up.