Chapter Summaries

Hiko prepared to travel to Takigakure to pursue the Seven-Tails and recruited Shirono Mashiro, a Konoha ninja with an exceptional sense of smell, to help track it. He left the mission details classified and set out with Mashiro dressed as civilians.

• Hiko decided to go after the Seven-Tails alone, wary that other villages might target him during the mission.
• Hiko returned home, gathered his supplies, and changed into casual clothes to avoid being recognized as a Konoha ninja.
• Hiko summoned Shirono Mashiro from Anbu headquarters and ordered him to join the mission, citing the Third Hokage's authority.
• Hiko told Shirono Mashiro to change out of his Anbu uniform and bring only necessary tools.
• Hiko refused to explain the classified mission to Mashiro's squad captain, who accepted his answer and asked no further questions.

Hiko left Konoha with Shirono Mashiro to track down and capture the Seven-Tails after an earlier Konoha mission had failed. Shirono Mashiro realized the mission’s purpose and grew increasingly excited about the danger and the chance to earn credit.

• Shirono Mashiro eagerly joined Hiko, who told him to follow instructions and avoid asking or saying unnecessary things.
• Hiko and Shirono Mashiro left Konoha and headed toward the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Frost.
• Shirono Mashiro inferred that Hiko was secretly pursuing the Seven-Tails after learning that Konoha’s previous capture mission had failed.
• Shirono Mashiro kept his guess to himself and reasoned that Hiko’s strength gave them a chance to succeed.
• Shirono Mashiro became visibly excited about the dangerous mission, puzzling Hiko.

Tsunade and the others learned that Hiko had gone alone to capture the Seven-Tails and confronted the Third Hokage over the dangerous mission. After Tsunade left with the others, the Third Hokage waited for news from Hiko, who had likely entered the Land of Waterfalls.

• Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo discovered that Hiko had left two days earlier on an individual mission to capture the Seven-Tails.
• Tsunade smashed the Third Hokage's desk and demanded to know why he had sent Hiko alone despite the danger.
• The Third Hokage explained that Hiko was the most suitable person for the mission and had accepted it in exchange for something he wanted.
• The Third Hokage assigned Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo a mission to undertake together until Hiko returned.
• Tsunade stormed out and shattered the office doors, while the Third Hokage waited for news from Hiko.

Hiko and Shirono Mashiro searched for the Seven-Tails without contacting Takigakure, while the Third Hokage faced pressure from Konoha’s leaders over the failed mission. The Third Hokage told them he had already sent someone to carry it out and left them waiting for news.

• Hiko questioned why they should contact Takigakure and led Shirono Mashiro toward the Land of Frost to track the Seven-Tails from its battlefield.
• Takigakure pressed the Third Hokage for action, and Utatane Koharu called a High-level Meeting as Konoha’s leaders grew anxious.
• The Third Hokage explained that Naoko Senju had gone to the Uzumaki Clan with gifts to apologize for the princess’s death.
• The Third Hokage told the gathered leaders that he had already sent someone to carry out the mission, then left the meeting.

The Third Hokage kept the identity of the person sent to capture the Seven-Tails secret while waiting for news from Hiko. In the Land of Frost, Hiko and Shirono Mashiro found the Seven-Tails Chōmei’s trail leading toward Kumogakure and set off after it.

• The Third Hokage left the Meeting Room without revealing who had been sent, leaving the village’s higher-ups to speculate.
• The Third Hokage waited in his office for Hiko’s report while facing pressure from the Daimyo and others to capture the Seven-Tails.
• Hiko and Shirono Mashiro reached the Land of Frost battlefield and searched for traces of Chōmei.
• Shirono Mashiro detected the Seven-Tails’ scent and pointed out that it led toward Kumogakure.
• Hiko told Shirono Mashiro to lead the way, and they headed toward the Land of Lightning until Shirono Mashiro suddenly stopped.

Hiko and Shirono Mashiro searched for the Seven-Tails after its trail abruptly vanished. Hiko suspected the beast had laid a false trail toward the Land of Lightning, and the search left them pursuing fresh Scale Powder scent in the opposite direction.

• Shirono Mashiro found that the Seven-Tails' scent had stopped, while Hiko sensed no trace of its Chakra nearby.
• After searching the surrounding area without success, Hiko told Shirono Mashiro to check whether the Scale Powder scent was stronger toward the Land of Waterfalls.
• Hiko reasoned that the Seven-Tails might have planted a false trail toward the Land of Lightning while heading the other way.
• Shirono Mashiro found fresh Scale Powder scent in the opposite direction and confirmed Hiko's suspicion.
• Hiko ordered Shirono Mashiro to chase the Seven-Tails and promised to request a commendation after the mission.

Hiko and Shirono Mashiro tracked Seven-Tails’ Scale Powder trail from the Land of Frost through the Land of Waterfalls and into the Land of Earth. Hiko sensed Seven-Tails nearby, bringing their search to its end and setting up a confrontation.

• Shirono Mashiro followed Seven-Tails’ trail after Hiko realized it had doubled back to mislead them.
• The trail led them past Takigakure and across the border into the Land of Earth.
• Hiko ordered Shirono Mashiro to follow Seven-Tails into the Land of Earth despite the risk of encountering Iwagakure shinobi.
• The pair found no Iwagakure shinobi nearby and followed the increasingly strong scent toward Seven-Tails’ hiding place.
• Hiko sensed Seven-Tails’ Chakra nearby and called out to Shirono Mashiro.

Hiko sent Shirono Mashiro back to Konoha so he could confront the Seven-Tails without having to protect him. He found the injured beast hiding in a mountain and attacked its hiding place with explosive-tagged kunai, provoking its fury.

• Hiko ordered Shirono Mashiro to return to Konoha and keep the mission secret until Hiko came back.
• Shirono Mashiro reluctantly obeyed and headed toward Konoha while Hiko hoped he would avoid enemy shinobi.
• Hiko sensed the Seven-Tails nearby and went to confront it alone.
• The Seven-Tails sensed Hiko approaching but stayed hidden inside its mountain refuge.
• Hiko threw kunai fitted with Explosive Tags into the rock, and the Seven-Tails roared in anger.

Hiko provoked the Seven-Tails after blasting apart its hiding place, hoping to make it fight instead of flee. The enraged beast finally launched a high-speed attack at him.

• Hiko detonated Explosive Tags and collapsed the mountain where the Seven-Tails was hiding.
• The Seven-Tails emerged from the rubble and flew above Hiko, furious at his provocation.
• Hiko activated his Mangekyo and taunted the Seven-Tails to keep it from escaping.
• Hiko mocked the Seven-Tails as ugly and weaker than the Nine-Tails, driving it into a rage.
• The Seven-Tails beat its wings and charged at Hiko at extreme speed.

Hiko fought the enraged Seven-Tails with his Susanoo, matching its strength and exploiting its difficulty fighting in midair. The Seven-Tails wounded the Susanoo with its tail, but Hiko broke free and slashed its abdomen, forcing it to retreat.

• The Seven-Tails charged Hiko, and his Susanoo met it with a powerful Katana strike that cracked its horn and sent both combatants reeling.
• Hiko taunted the Seven-Tails and advanced, provoking it into another attack.
• The Seven-Tails seized the Susanoo's Katana with its claws and swept its tail into the Susanoo, jolting Hiko.
• Hiko wrenched the Katana free and cut a long wound across the Seven-Tails' abdomen, making it cry out and fly away.

Hiko let the Seven-Tails build and fire a powerful Tailed Beast Ball, then revealed he had been waiting to use a hidden ability against it. The attack neared his Susanoo as he activated Black Hole Devour, Transfer, leaving the result unresolved.

• The Seven-Tails filled the air with dust and Scale Powder, obscuring Hiko while it gathered Chakra for a Tailed Beast Ball.
• Hiko sensed the Seven-Tails' plan but allowed it to finish charging, confident he had prepared a trump card.
• The Seven-Tails fired its massive Tailed Beast Ball at Hiko, who remained still and smiled as it approached.
• Hiko raised his hand and activated Black Hole Devour, Transfer as the Tailed Beast Ball reached his Susanoo.

Hiko used his Black Hole Devour ability to absorb the Seven-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball and send it back at the beast, leaving it badly wounded and nearly depleted. As Iwagakure’s patrol headed toward the explosion, Hiko approached the Seven-Tails to finish dealing with it.

• Hiko absorbed the Seven-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball with Black Hole Devour and opened a whirlpool behind the beast.
• Hiko returned the Tailed Beast Ball to the Seven-Tails, then sheltered inside his Susanoo as it exploded.
• The blast devastated the surrounding area, and Iwagakure’s patrol spotted the mushroom cloud and rushed toward the site.
• Hiko found the Seven-Tails wounded and low on Chakra, mocked it, and walked toward it before Iwagakure’s forces could arrive.

Hiko defeated and controlled the weakened Seven-Tails, then forced it into a Summoning contract and sent it to recover near the sea. He fled toward the Land of Fire after laying traps that killed most of the Iwagakure patrol squad, leaving one survivor to report what happened.

• Hiko battered the wounded Seven-Tails and used his Mangekyo Genjutsu to control it.
• Hiko forcibly contracted the Seven-Tails as a Summoned Beast and ordered it to fly toward the sea to recover.
• Hiko planted Explosive Tag traps near the sinkhole and along the road, then ran toward the Land of Fire.
• An Iwagakure patrol squad arrived and saw the Seven-Tails flying away as Hiko fled; the captain ordered one ninja to send a report to the village.
• The patrol captain triggered a trap and was blown apart, and further explosions killed the other patrol members except the ninja who had been sent to report.

After the Seven-Tails fled into the Land of Earth, Ōnoki mobilized Iwagakure to pursue it and investigate the person who fought it. In Konoha, the Third Hokage faced pressure from Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu over the Seven-Tails crisis and the angry Uzumaki Clan, but insisted he had sent people to handle matters and left Koharu questioning whether he had truly acted.

• A surviving Iwagakure patrol member witnessed his captain and teammates die in an Explosive Tag trap left by Hiko.
• Ōnoki received intelligence that the Seven-Tails had entered the Land of Earth and ordered a large force to search for it and identify its opponent.
• Iwagakure dispatched ninja to pursue the Seven-Tails and investigate the site where Hiko had fought it, while spies spread the news to other villages.
• Rumors in Konoha revealed that its team sent to help Takigakure had been wiped out, and that the Uzumaki Clan demanded an explanation after Naoko Senju angered them.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu confronted the Third Hokage, who told them he had sent people to handle the crisis and urged them to focus on the Uzumaki Clan.
• Utatane Koharu stopped Mitokado Homura from erupting further and asked the Third Hokage whether he had truly taken action.

The Third waited anxiously for Hiko to return with news about the Seven-Tails, while Hiko made his way back to Konoha without being able to send a message. Hiko confirmed the mission had succeeded and urged the Third to make Takigakure pay more before returning the Seven-Tails.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura left the Hokage's Office after the Third insisted he wanted the Seven-Tails incident resolved to protect Konoha's reputation.
• Hiko realized he could not send word to Konoha because he had no contract with the village's Ninja Hawks, so he returned to the village in person.
• The Third waited anxiously for Hiko, especially after Shirono Mashiro returned without knowing whether the mission had succeeded.
• Hiko arrived in Konoha and surprised the Third at the Hokage's Office, where the Third urgently asked about the mission while coughing from the smoke.
• Hiko told the Third the mission was complete and the Seven-Tails could be handed over to Takigakure.
• Hiko urged the Third to demand more from Takigakure before returning the Seven-Tails because Takigakure had joined other villages in questioning Konoha.

Hiko persuaded the Third Hokage to demand compensation from Takigakure in exchange for the Seven-Tails, using Konoha’s losses during the capture as justification. The Third Hokage agreed, while Konoha’s other leaders remained unaware that the Seven-Tails had been captured and that Hiko would soon become Head of Anbu.

• Hiko argued that Konoha should exploit its control of the Seven-Tails to extract resources and funds from Takigakure.
• The Third Hokage wavered, then agreed to Hiko’s proposal and accepted that Konoha should seek compensation.
• The Third Hokage asked what excuse Konoha could use to demand payment from Takigakure.
• Hiko proposed citing Konoha’s heavy losses during the Seven-Tails capture, and the Third Hokage approved the straightforward justification.
• Konoha’s higher-ups remained unaware of the capture, while the Third Hokage planned to reveal it and hand Hiko the Head of Anbu position.

The Third Hokage and Hiko planned to exaggerate Konoha’s losses to secure compensation from Takigakure after capturing the Seven-Tails. The Hokage made Shirono Mashiro’s squad agree on the official story, while Hiko returned home to rest and prepared to become Head of Anbu.

• Hiko and the Third Hokage agreed that Konoha would claim heavy losses and demand compensation from Takigakure.
• Hiko asked the Third Hokage to reward Shirono Mashiro, then learned the rest of Sixth Squad had been sent on a mission because they were angry he had left them behind.
• Hiko returned home, washed, ate, and fell asleep while the Third Hokage prepared to announce the Seven-Tails’ capture and manage the village’s response.
• The Third Hokage summoned Shirono Mashiro’s squad and told them to say that only Mashiro and Uchiha Hiko had survived the costly mission.
• The squad captain understood the Hokage’s intent and urged him to demand compensation from Takigakure, and the Third Hokage dismissed the squad with approval.

Konoha announced that Uchiha Hiko had captured the Seven-Tails, building support for his appointment as Head of Anbu. The news left Danzo and the Elder Council members stunned and frustrated, while Hiko's promotion became harder to oppose.

• Shirono Mashiro realized why the captain had told him to keep quiet and smacked his forehead in embarrassment.
• Konoha announced that Uchiha Hiko had led a team to the Land of Waterfalls and captured the Seven-Tails, claiming the mission had cost the village dearly.
• Konoha's citizens called for Takigakure to compensate the village and supported rewarding Hiko for his achievement.
• Danzo learned that Hiko had completed the mission and saw that the news strengthened the Third Hokage's plan to make Hiko Head of Anbu.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura dropped their teacups when they heard that Hiko had captured the Seven-Tails, despite their opposition to him.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura learned that Uchiha Hiko had captured the Seven-Tails and worried that his success would help the Uchiha gain influence in Konoha. While Hiko rested at home, Takigakure was shocked to hear that it must come to Konoha to collect the beast.

• Utatane Koharu learned that Uchiha Hiko had left the village after the meeting and returned only that day.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura concluded that Hiko had completed the Seven-Tails mission and that Hiruzen was preparing to make him Head of Anbu.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura worried that Hiko's rise would bring the Uchiha onto Konoha's political stage.
• Uchiha Shuu worried that he would lose control of the clan and that Uchiha Fugaku could not suppress Hiko after his own health failed.
• Hiko slept at home to recover from his recent exertion.
• Takigakure learned that the Seven-Tails had been captured and that its people must travel to Konoha to collect it.

After Hiko captured the Seven-Tails, Takigakure sent an envoy to Konoha to discuss compensation. Hiko learned that Jiraiya had gone missing during Sixth Squad’s mission, but believed he was safe, then wondered whether his plan to fleece Takigakure would succeed.

• Takigakure’s leaders dispatched an envoy to Konoha to receive the Seven-Tails and negotiate compensation.
• Hiko felt lonely while the rest of Sixth Squad was away on a mission.
• An intelligence report said Jiraiya had disappeared after becoming separated from Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo during a battle.
• Hiko reassured the Third Hokage that Jiraiya was probably delayed, and the Third Hokage trusted his confidence.
• The Third Hokage told Hiko that Takigakure’s envoy would arrive in about five days, and Hiko asked whether his plan to fleece them could succeed.