Chapter Summaries

Hiko persuaded the Third Hokage to approve an initial expansion of Anbu to four hundred people, then went to the Hyuga Clan Grounds to discuss recruiting. Hyuga Akagari agreed to meet him, leaving Hiko poised to enter the main family courtyard.

• Hiko proposed expanding Anbu by one thousand people, but the Third Hokage objected and argued that five hundred was already the limit.
• Hiko compromised on expanding Anbu to four hundred people, and the Third Hokage promised him unconditional support.
• Hiko left the Hokage Office Building to visit the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, choosing to approach the Hyuga Clan Head first.
• Hiko arrived at the Hyuga Clan Grounds and asked the guards to tell Hyuga Akagari that he wanted to discuss Anbu matters.
• Hyuga Akagari considered Hiko's request and told a branch family ninja to let him in.

Hiko visited Hyuga Akagari to arrange for Hyuga clan ninjas to join Anbu’s expansion, which the Third Hokage had approved. Akagari agreed to cooperate but worried that Hiko’s growing influence could eventually lead him to become Hokage.

• Hiko met Hyuga Akagari and explained that Anbu was expanding and would recruit from the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans.
• Hiko said the Third Hokage approved the plan and asked Akagari to provide candidates.
• Akagari agreed to send the Hyuga ninja files to the Hokage Office Building the next day.
• After Hiko left, Akagari wondered why Anbu was expanding again and worried about Hiko’s rising power and possible future as Hokage.

After becoming Head of Anbu, Hiko returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, where Uchiha Shuu called a Clan Meeting to honor his promise and prepare Hiko's rise within the clan. Shuu's failing health made the succession urgent, and Hiko entered the Meeting Room determined to change the Uchiha Clan.

• Hyuga Akagari resolved to cooperate with Hiko and hoped the Uchiha's old conflicts with other clans would not worsen.
• Hiko left the Hyuga main family compound and returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Uchiha Shuu ordered the elders and Hiko to gather at the Clan Ancestral Hall, then suffered a severe coughing fit and coughed blood.
• Uchiha Shuu refused medical help and, supported by guards, made his way to the ancestral hall as he worried about Uchiha Fugaku's future and the clan's succession.
• A guard summoned Hiko to the Clan Meeting, and Hiko changed course toward the Clan Ancestral Hall.
• Hiko entered the Meeting Room, sat cross-legged instead of kneeling, and received a greeting only from the Third Elder.

Uchiha Shuu formally appointed thirteen-year-old Uchiha Hiko as the Uchiha Family’s Ninth Elder, then collapsed and was rushed to Konoha Hospital in critical condition. Hiko and the other elders went to the hospital as news of Shuu’s condition and Hiko’s promotion spread through the clan and Konoha.

• Uchiha Shuu arrived at the elders’ meeting and announced that he would honor his agreement by making Uchiha Hiko an elder.
• Uchiha Shuu appointed Hiko the Ninth Elder, and the Great Elder received the appointment letter.
• Uchiha Shuu coughed up blood and collapsed, so guards carried him to Konoha Hospital.
• The Great Elder proposed that the elders visit the critically ill Clan Head, and they agreed to go together.
• The Uchiha Clan announced Hiko’s promotion and Shuu’s critical condition, drawing clan members to Konoha Hospital as the news spread across Konoha.

After Uchiha Shuu became critically ill, Hiko helped restore order as Uchiha Clan members surrounded Konoha Hospital. The Great Elder dispersed them, and Hiko later spoke with the Third Elder about Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku.

• The Third Hokage sent an Anbu ninja to ask Hiko to clear the Uchiha Clan members surrounding Konoha Hospital, and Hiko agreed while requesting secret guards to prevent trouble.
• Hiko asked the elders to handle the crowd, and the reluctant Great Elder stepped forward.
• The Great Elder invoked clan law and ordered the Uchiha members to return home, and they gradually dispersed.
• The Third Elder remarked on the trouble arising while Uchiha Shuu was critically ill, and Hiko asked him to explain.
• The Third Elder changed the subject and asked whether Mikoto had been visiting Hiko, who said she had and mentioned Uchiha Fugaku followed her around.

Hiko teased Third Elder about Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto, then refused to speculate about the gravely ill Uchiha Shuu. Shuu stabilized but remained unconscious, leaving Uchiha’s leadership in the hands of Great Elder and Second Elder while the clan and Konoha awaited his recovery.

• Hiko pointed out that Third Elder disliked Fugaku following Mikoto, and Third Elder worried that discussing it could make him look as if he were targeting Fugaku and Uchiha Shuu.
• Third Elder left Hiko, and the elders stayed at the hospital while Uchiha Shuu underwent emergency treatment.
• Three hours later, the doctor reported that Shuu had stabilized but remained in critical condition and might not wake until the next day.
• On the way back to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Hiko deflected Third Elder’s questions about Shuu’s condition and said Great Elder and Second Elder were handling clan affairs.
• The Third Hokage hoped Shuu would live until Konoha’s situation stabilized, while most Uchiha members also hoped their Clan Head would recover.

Hiko managed Anbu recruitment while privately obtaining a vial of Senju Hashirama's cells from Orochimaru. As Hiko put off experimenting with the cells until the Anbu was reorganized, Hatake Sakumo entered his office and startled him.

• Hiko told the Third Hokage that Uchiha Shuu was barely clinging to life and said he would begin expanding the Anbu by selecting candidates from the Hyuga Clan, other clans, and the public ranks.
• The Third Hokage warned Hiko that other villages were wary of his ability to control Tailed Beasts, but Hiko dismissed the concern and returned to Anbu work.
• Hiko reviewed Anbu applications and stamped documents approving candidates for selection.
• Orochimaru visited Hiko and secretly gave him a vial containing a small amount of Senju Hashirama's cells.
• Hiko concealed the vial and decided to postpone experimenting with it until the Anbu had returned to normal.
• Hatake Sakumo entered Hiko's office, and Hiko widened his eyes and asked whether Sakumo had been holding it in too long.

Hatake Sakumo visited the Anbu Captain's office to recommend members of his clan for the Anbu's expansion and ask whether there was news about Jiraiya. Hiko agreed to review the candidates' files and reassured Sakumo that the Anbu would search for Jiraiya, leaving Sakumo calmer as he departed.

• Hiko mistook Hatake Sakumo's haggard appearance for womanizing and teased him about his past with Jiraiya.
• Hatake Sakumo explained that he had been busy with family matters and came to ask about the Anbu expansion.
• Hiko agreed to review the files for Hatake Sakumo's recommended clan members and let them join if they qualified.
• Hatake Sakumo asked whether the Anbu had found any news about Jiraiya, and Hiko said there was none.
• Hiko promised to have the Anbu and village squads watch for Jiraiya and joked that Jiraiya was too much of a menace to die easily.
• Hatake Sakumo left reassured, while Hiko laughed and admitted he had maligned Jiraiya to comfort him.

Hiko reviewed candidates for Anbu and decided to recruit suitable members from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. He summoned the Uchiha elders to discuss clan members joining Anbu, and the Third Elder arrived first to question the timing.

• Hiko reviewed Anbu candidate files, selected suitable ninja, and arranged for them to be notified.
• Hiko decided to fill Anbu vacancies with members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.
• Hiko returned to the Uchiha clan grounds and ordered a patrol squad to summon every elder for an urgent meeting about Uchiha joining Anbu.
• The elders left their clan duties and headed to the Clan Ancestral Hall after receiving Hiko's summons as both an elder and Anbu's head.
• The Third Elder arrived first, asked Hiko why he had called a meeting while the clan head was unable to attend, and drank tea.

Hiko pressured Third Elder during a private meeting, using their shared risk of being overheard to make him consider his demands. Third Elder agreed to keep Uchiha Fugaku away from Mikoto, but insisted that Hiko also stay away from his daughter.

• Hiko told Third Elder that the clan could function without him and used a gesture to warn that they would both be implicated if his words got out.
• Third Elder refused to take sides in Hiko’s disputes, but Hiko asked him to stop prying for information and keep Uchiha Fugaku away from Mikoto.
• Hiko explained that he resented being valued yet suppressed, and Third Elder acknowledged that the clan feared he would obstruct Uchiha Fugaku.
• Third Elder agreed to Hiko’s requests, then demanded that Hiko stay away from Mikoto because she was still young.

Hiko called a Uchiha elders’ meeting to discuss expanding Anbu and recruiting members of the Uchiha Family, but most elders wanted to wait until the clan head recovered. He angrily accused them of being idiots and reminded them of his efforts to improve the family’s standing.

• Hiko told the elders that the Hokage had appointed him Head of Anbu and that he wanted to recruit from the Uchiha Family and Hyuga Clan.
• Hiko explained that the Hyuga clan head had already agreed to the plan, but the Uchiha clan head’s illness had delayed discussion.
• Great Elder and Third Elder stayed quiet while Second Elder and most of the others argued that the meeting should wait until the clan head recovered.
• When Second Elder accused him of gloating over the clan head’s illness, Hiko denied it and called the elders idiots.
• Hiko shouted that he had been fighting to improve the Uchiha Family’s position while the elders accused him of betrayal and wasted an opportunity to gain Anbu posts.

Hiko left the clan meeting after the elders rejected his proposal to recruit Uchiha into Anbu, and the Great Elder warned them that they risked losing the opportunity. After hearing that the Third Elder had told Hiko to stay away from his young daughter, the Great Elder began to suspect Hiko was a lolicon and considered using the information to approach him.

• Hiko berated the elders for refusing his proposal and left the Meeting Room, saying he would find candidates elsewhere.
• The Great Elder silenced the arguing elders and warned them that Hiko could recruit other Uchiha for Anbu if they passed up the vacant positions.
• The Great Elder left the clan shrine and asked a guard what the Third Elder and Ninth Elder had said earlier.
• The guard reported that the Third Elder had shouted, “Uchiha Hiko, stay away from my daughter. My daughter is still young.”
• The Great Elder connected the Third Elder’s warning to Tsunade’s interest in Hiko and ordered the guards to keep quiet while he considered using the information to get closer to Hiko.

After the Uchiha elders refused to act on Hiko’s proposal until Uchiha Shuu recovered, the Great Elder and Third Elder recognized the political damage the delay could cause. Hiko returned to the Anbu office and issued two notices for the Third Hokage’s approval.

• The Great Elder ordered the guards to keep the elders’ discussion secret, while the Third Elder explained to the Fifth Elder that delaying the decision could undermine Uchiha Shuu’s plans and turn clan members against them.
• The Fifth Elder and the other elders realized their anger at Hiko had distracted them from the consequences of refusing his proposal.
• Hiko left the ancestral hall, returned to the Anbu office, and warned the Uchiha that they could come find him there.
• Hiko wrote two notices and ordered an Anbu ninja to submit them to the Third Hokage for approval that night.
• The Anbu ninja hurried to the Hokage Office Building and found that the Third Hokage was still working.

The Third Hokage approved Hiko’s notice exposing the Uchiha elders’ refusal to answer Anbu’s summons, and it was published that night. The news angered Uchiha clan members and left the elders publicly blamed for blocking their clan’s chance to join Anbu.

• The Third Hokage read Hiko’s document, recognized that Hiko meant to pressure the Uchiha elders, and ordered the notice published without emergency publicity.
• The notice spread among nearby ninjas, who criticized the Uchiha elders for refusing Anbu’s summons and waiting for Uchiha Shuu to recover.
• Uchiha clan members learned that the elders had blocked the opportunity to join Anbu and reacted with anger and disbelief.
• Most Uchiha clan members did not blame Hiko, understanding that he had tried to secure openings for them but could not decide for the clan.

The Uchiha clan erupted in anger after the Hokage Office Building announced that the elders led by the Second Elder had cost them a chance to enter the Anbu. The Great Elder called an emergency High-level Meeting, hoping the clan could still contain the fallout.

• Uchiha members blamed the elders for losing the Anbu opportunity and became increasingly agitated.
• A guard woke the Great Elder to report the announcement and the unrest spreading through the clan and village.
• The Great Elder cursed the other elders for antagonizing Uchiha Hiko and worsening divisions after Uchiha Shuu fell.
• The Great Elder ordered the guard to summon the elders for an immediate High-level Meeting and headed to the Clan Ancestral Hall.
• Uchiha elders reacted with disbelief and demanded to know why Uchiha Hiko had caused the crisis.

Uchiha Hiko’s public announcement enraged the elders and forced them to gather at the Clan Ancestral Hall. When they learned he was not home, they realized he was avoiding further negotiations and discussed how to find him and contain the fallout.

• The elders rushed to the Clan Ancestral Hall after receiving the Great Elder’s summons, but the messenger sent to Hiko’s home found no one there.
• The Second Elder and Eighth Elder condemned Hiko for publicizing an internal clan matter, while the Great Elder blamed them for refusing to hear him out.
• The Third Elder urged the Great Elder and Second Elder to stop arguing and share responsibility for how the earlier meeting had gone.
• The Fifth Elder asked why Hiko had not arrived, and the messenger reported that Hiko was not at home.
• The elders realized Hiko was avoiding them, and the Third Elder proposed calming the clan, keeping the news from the clan head, and finding Hiko to discuss matters.

Hiko stayed in the Anbu to avoid the Uchiha elders while their clan grew increasingly angry over the elders’ treatment of him. As the elders struggled to reach him and worried about Uchiha losing Anbu positions, Hiko decided to keep the pressure on, despite the strain of living in his office.

• The Third Elder explained that Hiko’s announcement had won the clansmen’s support and that the elders who opposed him had become his stepping stones.
• Hiko’s informant reported that the elders were desperate to contact him, and Hiko remained in the Anbu rather than returning home.
• The next day, Uchiha clansmen voiced their anger at the elders, while rumors spread against those who had opposed Hiko.
• After several days in his office, Hiko complained about sleeping in a chair and asked for food, documents, cigarettes, and alcohol.
• Hiko learned that the Uchiha elders were still trying to reach him and ordered his subordinates to keep the pressure on.

Hiko continued expanding Anbu as Uchiha Shuu lay ill and remained unaware of the clan’s turmoil. When the Third Elder intercepted Hiko, he urged him to return and help calm the Uchiha.

• Hiko reviewed Anbu recruitment documents and reserved some positions for Uchiha recruits.
• Uchiha Hayashi assured the bedridden Uchiha Shuu that the clan was peaceful and that many Uchiha had joined Anbu, concealing the family’s disorder.
• Uchiha Hayashi promised to notify Uchiha Shuu if anything happened, while Uchiha Fugaku remained unable to visit him at the hospital.
• The Third Elder waited outside Anbu for two days and stopped Hiko as he left to report to the Third Hokage.
• Hiko said he knew the Uchiha were in chaos but denied responsibility, and the Third Elder asked him to return and help bring the situation under control.

Uchiha Hiko set conditions for resolving the Uchiha Clan’s dispute with him and Anbu, while making clear that the elders’ apology was meant to show respect rather than be a demand he truly expected them to fulfill. The Great Elder explained Hiko’s intention to the elders, who accepted that the Uchiha could return to Anbu in reduced numbers and prepared to inform the clan.

• Hiko told the Third Elder that the Uchiha elders could settle the matter by apologizing to him, but otherwise they would have to wait until Uchiha Shuu recovered.
• Hiko told the Third Hokage about his demands and admitted he mainly wanted to show the elders that they could not dismiss or provoke him without consequence.
• The Third Elder returned to the ancestral hall and told the gathered elders that Hiko would allow the Uchiha to join Anbu in greatly reduced numbers, provided they apologized to him.
• The elders reacted angrily to the demand, but the Great Elder told them that Hiko wanted an attitude of respect rather than a genuine apology.
• The Great Elder instructed the elders to reassure the clansmen that the dispute with the village was resolved and to prepare eligible Uchiha for possible Anbu recruitment.

Hiko used the Uchiha clan’s dispute over Anbu appointments to strengthen his standing, then outlined plans for Uchiha advancement within a restructured Anbu. He also urged the clan to stop restricting contact with other clans, but the Great Elder immediately objected.

• The Uchiha clan accepted the settlement allowing qualified members to enter the Anbu, and Hiko’s prestige rose while the elders’ standing fell.
• Hiko joined the elders’ meeting and pointedly asked whether they needed to wait for the recovering clan head before discussing clan affairs; the elders said they could decide matters together.
• Hiko promised Uchiha members opportunities for Anbu leadership roles and described a new structure of squads, companies, Battalions, and higher positions.
• Hiko said the Uchiha must no longer restrict interactions with other clans, and the Great Elder immediately rejected the proposal.