Chapter Summaries

Hiko revealed that he could use Wood Style and unleashed Tree World Descends inside Kyuku Uzumaki’s seal. The giant trees burst through the plaza and resisted the seal’s crushing force, leaving the Uzumaki Clan and Hiko’s teammates stunned.

• Hiko asked Kyuku Uzumaki whether she knew Senju Hashirama and teased her about a surprise.
• Orochimaru suspected that Hiko had used Senju Hashirama’s cells to gain access to Wood Style.
• Kyuku intensified the seal’s crushing force as Hiko formed hand seals with his Susanoo.
• Hiko used Wood Style: Tree World Descends, causing the plaza to shake and thick vines to erupt through its stone floor.
• The vines grew into enormous trees inside the seal, astonishing Kyuku, the Uzumaki Clan, and Hiko’s teammates.

Hiko used Wood Style to overwhelm Kyuku Uzumaki’s seal, astonishing the onlookers and forcing Kyuku to spend more and more Chakra to maintain it. Hiko urged her to stop resisting, leaving the wager on the verge of his victory.

• Hiko’s Vast Sky Giant Trees grew inside Kyuku Uzumaki’s seal and began battering its boundaries.
• Jiraiya speculated that Hiko might be a descendant of Senju Hashirama, and Tsunade angrily shut him down.
• The trees kept growing as Hiko supplied Chakra, while Kyuku reinforced the seal and struggled to maintain control.
• Hiko explained that Kyuku’s seal could have trapped several Elite Jonin, but she could not withstand his Wood Style and greater Chakra reserves.
• Hiko told the exhausted Kyuku to stop resisting, saying her seal could not overcome him.

Uchiha Hiko broke Kyuku Uzumaki’s seal and won their wager, then mocked Uzumaki Kin and the Uzumaki Clan’s younger generation for refusing to challenge him. The chapter ended with Hiko rebuffing Uzumaki Kin’s complaint, while the Uzumaki Clan remained wary of provoking him.

• Hiko shattered Kyuku Uzumaki’s seal, and the unleashed trees transformed the village square into a forest.
• Hiko reminded Kyuku of their wager and told her to return to Konoha with him as his maid.
• Hiko mocked Uzumaki Kin over the damage to the square, and Kin agreed that Hiko owed no compensation.
• Hiko challenged the Uzumaki Clan’s younger generation to fight, but no one stepped forward.
• Uzumaki Kin told Hiko he had gone too far, and Hiko replied that the Uzumaki Clan had gone further.

After Hiko’s Wood Style stunned the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Kin dismissed the crowd and brought the Konoha delegation to a private meeting about choosing the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The negotiations began with Tsunade in charge, while Hiko said he preferred the Jinchuriki to be a woman.

• Uzumaki Kin ordered the clansmen to disperse and invited Hiko and the others to discuss the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki privately.
• Tsunade joined Hiko, who assured her he understood they had to avoid escalating the conflict and joked about gaining a little maid.
• Uzumaki Kin and the clan elders gathered with the Konoha delegation in the Clan Leader's Compound, where Kin asked what requirements Konoha had for the next Jinchuriki.
• Hiko said Tsunade was leading the negotiations and that he had no preference as long as the Jinchuriki was not a man.
• Hiko explained that, as Konoha's Head of Anbu, he would have frequent contact with the Jinchuriki and preferred looking at a beautiful woman, prompting Jiraiya to cough and secretly approve.

The Sixth Squad agreed with the Uzumaki Clan that they would find a suitable Jinchuriki and later bring Kyuku Uzumaki to Konoha. On the journey home, Hiko told Tsunade he could control the Nine-Tails himself and promised to explain his Wood Style after they reached the Land of Fire; back in Konoha’s territory, he invited the squad to ask what he was willing to reveal.

• Tsunade persuaded Uzumaki Kin to cooperate, and the Uzumaki Clan agreed to find a Jinchuriki candidate and bring Kyuku Uzumaki to Konoha later.
• Aboard the ship, Tsunade asked Hiko why he was unconcerned about the Jinchuriki and how he could use Wood Style.
• Hiko said he could control the Nine-Tails with his Sharingan or Wood Style and planned to discuss suppressing it with the Third Hokage.
• Hiko promised Tsunade he would explain his Wood Style once they reached the Land of Fire.
• After the Sixth Squad returned to Konoha’s territory, Jiraiya hunted a wild mountain goat, and Hiko invited the others to ask him questions about his secrets.

Hiko told Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo that he gained Wood Style by fusing with Senju Hashirama's cells. He revealed that Tobirama Senju had taken cells from Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, leaving Tsunade furious and in disbelief.

• Jiraiya asked Hiko how he could use Wood Style, and Hiko said his body could fuse with certain things, including Kekkei Genkai.
• Orochimaru identified Senju Hashirama's cells as the source of Hiko's Wood Style, and Hiko confirmed it.
• Tsunade demanded to know where the cells had come from and became furious when Hiko said Danzo had supplied them.
• Hiko revealed that Tobirama Senju had taken some of Hashirama's body, along with Uchiha Madara's, after Hashirama died.
• Tsunade rejected the revelation in disbelief as Hiko explained that Tobirama had believed the bodies had great value.

Hiko explained that Senju Hashirama’s cells and Tobirama’s research had been used for Konoha, easing Tsunade’s anger and grief over her granduncle’s role. He warned the others to keep the truth secret, then led them into the trees when wild dogs approached their camp.

• Hiko told Tsunade that Senju Hashirama’s cells had been used in research for Konoha, and she sat stunned by the revelation about her granduncle.
• Hiko comforted Tsunade, while Jiraiya tried to lighten the mood by marveling that Hiko had gained Wood Style.
• Hiko said further Kekkei Genkai fusion could kill him, then told the group to keep what they knew secret and said he would explain it to the Third Hokage himself.
• A pack of wild dogs approached the camp, so Hiko stopped Orochimaru from attacking them and led everyone into the trees.
• Hiko threw the remaining lamb to the dogs, which fought over the food as Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo watched him for a lesson.

Hiko reflected on conflict while traveling with his companions, then planned to return to Konoha the next morning. News that he had used Wood Style reached Konoha and shocked the Third Hokage and the elders, who remained uncertain about what it meant.

• Hiko compared people’s struggles to wild dogs fighting over food, then killed one of the dogs to drive the rest away.
• Hiko told Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to rest before they returned to Konoha the next morning.
• The Third Hokage read a report from the Land of Whirlpools stating that Hiko could use Wood Style and reacted with shock.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu rushed to the Hokage’s Office and asked the Third Hokage whether the report about Hiko was true.
• The Third Hokage said he was unsure but believed the Uzumaki Clan probably would not lie about the matter.

Hiko demonstrated that he could use genuine Wood Style to the Konoha higher-ups, who had gathered to verify the Uzumaki Clan’s report and discuss the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He refused to explain how he obtained the ability, leaving the elders to speculate about his access to confidential scrolls.

• The Third Hokage moved the gathering from his crowded office to the Meeting Room and privately asked Hiko whether the news was true.
• The Third Hokage opened the meeting by raising the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and asking Hiko to verify the Uzumaki Clan’s report.
• Hiko extended wood from his palm, shocking the assembled higher-ups with proof that he could use Wood Style.
• Naoko Senju asked how Hiko had obtained Wood Style, and Hiko challenged her implication that the ability belonged exclusively to the Senju Clan.
• Hiko said he would not explain how he obtained Wood Style and claimed that studying hand seals and confidential scrolls had taught him to use it.

Hiko recounted how the Uzumaki Clan had mistreated Konoha’s delegation and used a staged exchange to provoke him, prompting the Third Hokage to condemn them and arrange a response. After the meeting, Naoko Senju stayed behind to question Hiko, who told her to ask Tsunade for the details.

• Danzo asked Hiko how he had gained Wood Style, and Hiko mocked him instead of answering.
• The Third Hokage asked Hiko why the trip to the Land of Whirlpools had taken so long and what conflict had occurred.
• Hiko said the Uzumaki Clan had ignored the delegation for a week, then provoked them in the village square and told them to leave.
• Hiko explained that he defeated Uzumaki Kin, won a bet that made a young Uzumaki his maid, and broke the strengthened seal with Wood Style.
• The Third Hokage condemned the Uzumaki Clan’s behavior, said he would send a message questioning them, and ended the meeting.
• Naoko Senju waited to speak with Hiko, who told her to ask Tsunade about what had happened.

Hiko rejected Naoko Senju’s attempt to ask about his Wood Style, then spoke with the Third Hokage, who promised to demand an explanation from the Uzumaki Clan. After returning home to rest, Hiko cleaned his house and headed to his usual place.

• Hiko cut off Naoko Senju before she could ask about his Wood Style and left her furious.
• Hiko told the Third Hokage that he had nothing to discuss with Naoko Senju until she learned to respect him.
• The Third Hokage told Hiko to rest and promised that the Uzumaki Clan would provide a reasonable explanation for targeting Konoha’s people.
• Hiko returned home, cleaned the dusty house, and looked forward to Kyuku Uzumaki’s arrival.
• After bathing and changing, Hiko left home and headed toward his usual place.

Hiko warned Orochimaru that experimenting with Senju Hashirama’s cells could turn him into a monster and urged him to keep following him rather than pursue immortality and the Sharingan. Hiko left Orochimaru to choose his path and considered how he could prevent future tragedies for his companions.

• Hiko met Orochimaru at the Tavern and told him the results of the experiment with Senju Hashirama’s cells.
• Hiko warned Orochimaru that trying the cells himself could transform him into a monster, then offered him a place at his side.
• Hiko urged Orochimaru to avoid divided loyalties and reflected that his choices could prevent the fates that awaited Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo.
• Hiko resolved to make up for past regrets and thought about protecting Nawaki Senju and preparing for his and Mikoto Uchiha’s upcoming school years.

Uchiha Shuu’s health failed, and the Uchiha Clan gathered at the Clan Ancestral Hall as he neared death. He asked the Great Elder to care for Uchiha Fugaku, while Hiko’s presence loomed as a potential factor in the clan’s succession.

• Uchiha Shuu stopped breathing in the hospital, briefly revived, and insisted on being taken back to the clan.
• A guard summoned Hiko to the Clan Ancestral Hall after the Clan Head ordered the clan to assemble.
• Hiko arrived and saw Uchiha Shuu near death, surrounded by elders and medical personnel.
• Uchiha Shuu asked the Great Elder to take care of Uchiha Fugaku, and the Great Elder reluctantly agreed.
• Uchiha Shuu turned his gaze toward Hiko again but could no longer speak.

Uchiha Shuu died of old age after Hiko promised not to target Uchiha Fugaku, leaving the Uchiha clan to face a succession struggle. News of Shuu’s death spread through Konoha, and the Third Hokage recognized it as a sign that the village was entering a generational transition.

• Uchiha Shuu asked Hiko not to harm or suppress Uchiha Fugaku, and Hiko promised he would not.
• Uchiha Shuu died in the Clan Ancestral Hall, and Hiko stayed outside while the clan mourned.
• The Third Elder praised Hiko’s promise and asked when he would make his move, but Hiko said he had no plans to pursue the Clan Head position.
• Hiko asked about Mikoto Uchiha, and the Third Elder warned him to keep away from his daughter.
• News of Uchiha Shuu’s death spread across Konoha, and the Third Hokage saw it as a sign that the village’s old generation was beginning to give way to a new one.

After Uchiha Shuu’s death, Hiko saw an opening to place Uchiha clansmen in vacant village positions while Konoha’s leaders focused on the funeral and staffing changes. A month later, Kyuku Uzumaki arrived in Konoha as Hiko’s maid and a future Jinchuriki candidate, joining the Uchiha Clan.

• Hiko planned to use the vacancies caused by Konoha’s aging leadership to place Uchiha clansmen in minor positions and build support for himself.
• The Third Hokage heard that the Uchiha Clan was keeping control after Uchiha Shuu’s death and prepared to pay his respects.
• Konoha’s clans attended Uchiha Shuu’s elaborate funeral, after which the Uchiha were left without a clan head.
• A month later, Kyuku Uzumaki arrived at Hiko’s home, and Hiko explained her housework duties and living arrangements.
• The Uzumaki Clan gave Hiko and the Third Hokage an explanation for its earlier conduct and punished the person responsible.
• Kyuku Uzumaki joined Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, becoming a boyish future Jinchuriki candidate and wearing traditional Uchiha clothing.

Kyuku Uzumaki settled into life as Hiko’s obedient but clumsy maid while Konoha’s old guard passed away and vacancies opened across the village. Hiko fought to place Uchiha members in several posts, leaving the other clans and the Shimura Great Elder struggling to oppose his proposal.

• Kyuku Uzumaki served Hiko as a maid, handling cleaning and laundry but making food so badly that he barred her from the kitchen.
• After Uchiha Shuu died, several elders from Konoha’s major clans passed away, creating vacancies and prompting a generational transition.
• Hiko asked the Third Hokage to appoint Uchiha clan members to several vacant positions, drawing angry objections from the other clans.
• Hiko challenged the Shimura Great Elder to trade the positions for the Logistics Department Captain post and other roles the Shimura Clan wanted.
• Hiko reminded the meeting that the Uchiha could trade away the Police Force, silencing the objections without securing a change to its arrangement.

Uchiha Hiko secured most of the positions he had demanded for the Uchiha after warning Konoha’s clans against opposing him. In a private discussion, he confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi about the village’s treatment of the Uchiha, and Hiruzen acknowledged the clan’s grievances.

• Utatane Koharu proposed cutting some of the Uchiha’s requested positions, and Hiko crossed out several before the Third Hokage ended the meeting.
• The Third Hokage warned Hiko that his demands could provoke backlash, but Hiko threatened to send Anbu to inspect the clans’ affairs.
• Hiko asked whether the Third Hokage also thought the Uchiha were asking too much, then accused Konoha of targeting the clan and allowing other clans to prosper through their leaders.
• The Third Hokage admitted that the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had grown stronger after their leaders rose to power and said he had been trying to change the situation.
• Hiko warned that the Uchiha might stop contributing so earnestly to Konoha, and the Third Hokage acknowledged that Hiko’s arrival might be the Uchiha’s good fortune.

Hiko warned the Third Hokage that he would take the Uchiha Clan out of Konoha if the village pushed them too far. Back at the clan grounds, he announced new village positions for Uchiha members, winning broad support and leaving the elders stunned by his growing influence.

• Hiko told the Third Hokage that the Uchiha Clan could leave Konoha if the village's treatment of them became intolerable.
• Hiko returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and invited qualified clan members to apply for the village positions he had obtained.
• Uchiha Clan members rushed to see Hiko, excited that they could enter departments across the village.
• The Third Elder realized Hiko had steadily won over the clan and pushed aside his rivals for the clan head position.
• The Fifth Elder burst into tears of joy after hearing that the clan had gained positions in the village.

Hiko and the others carried out their final Anbu mission against a group of Mist Ninja who had entered the Land of Fire. After Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo bickered and let some enemies escape, Hiko arrived and criticized the damage as they prepared to leave the Anbu.

• Hiko distributed positions among the Uchiha Clan members, including two younger relatives put forward by the Third Elder.
• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo attacked the Mist Ninja, but Hatake Sakumo's lightning-fast swordsmanship disrupted Jiraiya and Orochimaru's contest.
• The remaining Mist Ninja fled when they noticed the three Konoha fighters arguing, and Tsunade appeared to scold them for fooling around.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru sent Gamabunta and Manda after the fleeing enemies while Tsunade stayed behind.
• Hiko arrived, criticized the destruction, and noted that the mission was the group's farewell before leaving the Anbu.

After the Sixth Squad’s Summoned Beasts fought, Hiko ordered the team not to pursue the fleeing Mist Ninja and discussed rising tensions that could lead to another war. The squad prepared to part ways as its members left the Anbu, while Hiko reminded Orochimaru that Manda had once feared him.

• Jiraiya’s competition between Manda and Bunta left the area in ruins, and Hatake Sakumo asked Hiko whether they should pursue the enemies.
• Hiko declined to chase the Mist Ninja, saying the mission only required driving them out, and congratulated Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo on becoming rookie squad leaders.
• Tsunade raised concerns about increasing incursions and friction between nations, and Hiko warned that ambition among hawkish factions could spark a war from a small country.
• Hiko teased Jiraiya about betting on war breaking out and asked Orochimaru whether Manda had been behaving, prompting Orochimaru to insist it was obedient.