Chapter Summaries

Hiko led Konoha Anbu through the Land of Rain and eliminated scattered Sand Ninja and Iwagakure squads without letting them send word. After the all-night operation, he expected the killings to provoke a larger conflict and wondered how Hanzo of the Salamander would respond.

• Hiko's Anbu surrounded three Sand Ninja with a Sealing Jutsu barrier and killed them before they could escape or send information.
• Hiko ordered the bodies buried and led his Anbu to attack the next enemy group.
• Hiko's squad continued eliminating enemy squads along the Borderline as the rain washed away signs of battle.
• Hiko told the Anbu to rest and predicted that Sunagakure and Iwagakure would reinforce the Borderline after learning their people had been killed.
• Hiko looked forward to seeing how Hanzo of the Salamander would respond to the growing conflict.

Hiko sent the Third Hokage a plan and established wooden cabins for his troops at the rainy border. With the Third Hokage’s tacit approval, Konoha began staging attacks on merchant caravans in the Land of Wind and Land of Earth, and Hatake Sakumo’s squad carried out the first raid.

• Hiko sent his plan to the Third Hokage by Ninja Hawk and used Wood Style to build cabins for his troops.
• The Third Hokage read Hiko’s scroll, kept its contents secret, and gave no reply, which Hiko took as approval.
• Two Anbu squads entered the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind to cause trouble along merchant routes.
• Hatake Sakumo’s six-person squad ambushed a Sunagakure-linked caravan with an explosive-tagged Kunai and scattered its cargo.
• Hatake Sakumo stopped his men from killing the caravan’s people, blamed Sunagakure for invading the Land of Fire, and ordered the merchants to leave.

Hatake Sakumo’s squads staged attacks on merchant caravans and destroyed their supplies to make people believe Konoha was at war with Sunagakure and Iwagakure. The rumors reached Iwagakure, where Ōnoki heard that Konoha had invaded the Land of Earth and civilians began fleeing toward the village.

• Hatake Sakumo’s squad drove a merchant caravan away, then burned its grain so it could not reach Sunagakure.
• Hatake Sakumo planned to repeat the attack on more caravans before withdrawing, while a squad in the Land of Earth beat and killed merchants and destroyed their goods.
• The two Anbu squads completed their missions and left the Lands of Wind and Earth, expecting the merchants to spread news of war.
• After two days without reports from the provocation squads, Ōnoki suspected Konoha had wiped them out and wondered whether Konoha’s response concealed a conspiracy.
• An Intelligence Department staff member rushed into Ōnoki’s office and reported rumors that Konoha had sent a large force to the border and invaded the Land of Earth.
• Civilians in the Land of Earth panicked and fled toward Iwagakure as rumors of Konoha’s advance spread.

Hiko’s border provocations pushed Iwagakure and Sunagakure toward war with Konoha, while Hanzo of the Salamander feared Amegakure would be caught in the conflict. The chapter left Hanzo uneasy as the great villages began mobilizing.

• Ōnoki learned that Konoha ninja were retaliating against Iwagakure caravans and ordered his army assembled and Konoha infiltrators killed.
• Hiko sent more than a hundred people to provoke trouble near the borders of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, telling them not to expose themselves to enemy scouts.
• Hiko sent the latest intelligence to Konoha and asked the Third Hokage to dispatch several hundred troops to the Borderline.
• Hanzo of the Salamander received reports that Iwagakure and Sunagakure might go to war with Konoha and worried that Amegakure would be drawn into the fighting.

As Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha mobilized near the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander decided to meet their representatives to keep the war from devastating his country. Konoha sent a large force to the Borderline, leaving Danzo room to advance his secret plans, while the three armies settled into a tense standoff.

• Hanzo of the Salamander ordered his subordinates to monitor all three villages and decided he had to meet their representatives to protect the Land of Rain.
• The Third Hokage convened Konoha's leaders, won their agreement to send troops, and dispatched two thousand shinobi under Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
• After Konoha's army marched toward the Borderline, Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage recognized that war might truly break out.
• Danzo used the Anbu's absence and the village's focus on the Land of Rain to advance his secret operations.
• The armies of Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha gathered near the Borderline without crossing into the Land of Rain, leaving the standoff unresolved.

Hiko took charge of the Konoha forces headed to the Land of Rain, while the Third Hokage trusted him to manage the battlefield without interference. After teasing Jiraiya about his bulky green armor, Hiko assigned Hatake Sakumo responsibility for organizing the two thousand people.

• The Third Hokage decided not to send another commander to the frontline, leaving Hiko to handle the forces and make the decisions.
• Hiko, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo mocked Jiraiya's bulky green equipment and questioned its usefulness in the rain and against attacks.
• Hiko explained that Jiraiya's armor would not stop Explosive Tags or Ninjutsu and would slow him down.
• Hiko ordered Hatake Sakumo to manage and arrange the two thousand people from the village.
• Hatake Sakumo accepted the assignment anxiously, knowing he lacked experience with supplies and other organizational matters.

Hiko assigned Hatake Sakumo to manage Konoha’s war supplies and personnel, judging Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade unsuited to the task. As Konoha’s two-thousand-ninja force reached the border, Ōnoki received a confidential message from the Third Kazekage.

• Hiko told Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade why they were not suited to manage wartime supplies and personnel, and directed Orochimaru to focus on fighting.
• Hatake Sakumo struggled to organize the two thousand Konoha ninja, while Hiko let him learn through his mistakes and considered appointing the Uchiha Third Elder later.
• Konoha’s army arrived at the Borderline, prompting Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage to pause at their countries’ borders instead of entering the Land of Rain.
• Ōnoki reviewed information about Uchiha Hiko and regretted that Iwagakure had not made stronger assassination attempts against him when he was young.
• An Intelligence Department member delivered Ōnoki a message from Sunagakure marked for the Third Tsuchikage’s eyes only.

Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage exchanged hollow promises of cooperation while each planned to use the other to weaken Konoha. The Kazekage chose to wait for Konoha to act, unaware of Amegakure’s potential, while Hatake Sakumo struggled under Hiko’s demands to manage the frontline camp.

• Ōnoki dismissed the Third Kazekage’s request for cooperation as an opportunity to exploit Sunagakure, then sent back a message promising Iwagakure would cooperate.
• The Third Kazekage and Grandma Chiyo recognized that Ōnoki intended to use Sunagakure, but agreed their villages shared the goal of weakening Konoha.
• Grandma Chiyo mocked Konoha for placing Uchiha Hiko in command, while the Third Kazekage questioned whether Hiko’s appointment showed that Konoha was underestimating them.
• The Third Kazekage decided to wait for Konoha or Ōnoki to make the first move, overlooking the threat posed by Hanzo of the Salamander and Amegakure.
• Hatake Sakumo became exhausted managing personnel, supplies, and deployments under Hiko’s orders, while Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were relieved not to be in his place.

Hiko learned that Hanzo of the Salamander had come to request an audience and decided to meet him with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. Hanzo approached the Konoha camp cautiously, aware that Hiko might resent his past actions.

• Hiko discussed supply convoy security with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, explaining that enemy interception was unlikely before the war erupted.
• An Anbu reported that Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure, had requested an audience with Hiko.
• Hiko agreed to meet Hanzo and invited Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to come along.
• Hanzo visited the Konoha camp despite the risk of being slighted or confronted, mindful of Amegakure's weaker position.

Uchiha Hiko met Hanzo of the Salamander, who wanted Konoha to keep its forces out of the Land of Rain. Hiko agreed to hold Konoha back if Hanzo could persuade Iwagakure and Sunagakure to stay out of the Land of Fire, leaving Hanzo to investigate Amegakure’s seizure of Konoha’s supplies.

• Uchiha Hiko met Hanzo of the Salamander with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, and mocked Hanzo’s Demigod title and guarded approach.
• Hanzo of the Salamander asked why Konoha had sent a large army to the border of the Land of Rain.
• Uchiha Hiko denied that Konoha had entered the Land of Rain and challenged Hanzo to persuade Iwagakure and Sunagakure to stay out of the Land of Fire.
• Uchiha Hiko agreed that Konoha would not enter the Land of Rain again if Hanzo persuaded the other villages to stay out of the Land of Fire.
• Uchiha Hiko raised Amegakure’s seizure of Konoha’s merchant caravan and supplies, and Hanzo of the Salamander promised to investigate and return them twofold if the report was true.

Hiko explained that he had promised Hanzo of the Salamander help not to make Amegakure an ally, but to turn it against Iwagakure and Sunagakure when war began. Hanzo set out to seek meetings with the other villages, while Ōnoki was told that someone had come to see him.

• Hanzo of the Salamander left Hiko’s meeting, furious that Konoha would not return the supplies or guarantee that the war would avoid the Land of Rain.
• Tsunade questioned why Hiko had let Hanzo leave, and Hiko explained that he had been testing whether Amegakure could be drawn toward Konoha.
• Hiko told Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru that he did not expect Hanzo to become an ally; he only wanted Amegakure to resist Iwagakure and Sunagakure once war began.
• Hanzo recognized Hiko’s strategy but decided to approach Iwagakure and Sunagakure, since trying was his only chance to keep the war away from Amegakure.
• A messenger told Ōnoki that someone outside had come to request an audience.

Ōnoki rejected Hanzo of the Salamander’s attempt to meet, demanding the return of a merchant caravan’s people and goods, compensation, and that Hanzo enter Iwagakure’s camp alone. Hanzo abandoned the negotiations, while Hiko’s agents began raiding border settlements in the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, leaving Ōnoki to hear that Konoha’s people had reached Iwagakure’s rear area.

• Ōnoki agreed to meet Hanzo of the Salamander only if Hanzo returned the merchant caravan’s people and supplies, paid compensation, and entered the camp alone.
• Hanzo of the Salamander killed the subordinate who relayed Ōnoki’s demands, then decided to leave rather than accept them.
• Hanzo of the Salamander abandoned his negotiations with Iwagakure and did not go to meet the Third Kazekage.
• Hiko’s agents followed his orders to cause trouble without killing anyone, setting fires and stealing from settlements along the borders of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
• An Iwagakure messenger warned Ōnoki that Konoha’s people had entered their rear area and were causing trouble.

Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure began clashing through scout teams in the Land of Rain, while Hiko ordered Konoha’s Anbu to avoid hostility with Amegakure. After seeing Amegakure and Konoha act in concert, Ōnoki concluded that Amegakure had joined Konoha and urged the Third Kazekage to strike before the war escalated.

• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage responded to reports of Konoha ninja causing chaos in their countries by ordering their rear areas secured.
• Sunagakure and Iwagakure sent Scout Teams into the Land of Rain, and Hiko ordered Konoha’s Anbu to avoid provoking Amegakure.
• Konoha’s Anbu and the enemy Scout Teams fought, suffering casualties while Iwagakure and Sunagakure lost many more ninja.
• Hanzo of the Salamander became involved after Amegakure ninja were killed, while Konoha’s forces continued to avoid fighting Amegakure.
• Ōnoki learned that Konoha and Amegakure had fought alongside each other and tacitly yielded to one another, so he told the Third Kazekage they had to act quickly against Amegakure.

Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage agreed that Amegakure had become a dangerous obstacle and considered joining forces to attack it. Meanwhile, Hiko entered Amegakure with Hatake Sakumo to recruit the village, and Hanzo realized Hiko was trying to meet him.

• Ōnoki decided that Iwagakure should destroy Amegakure before turning its forces against Konoha.
• The Third Kazekage considered Amegakure a threat and received Ōnoki’s request to meet and discuss deploying their forces.
• Hiko entered Amegakure with Hatake Sakumo, insisting that the village was not their enemy and that they had come to win it over.
• Hiko ordered a lavish meal, had half of it packed for his companions, and ate with Sakumo.
• Hanzo of the Salamander heard that Hiko was dining in Amegakure and realized Hiko wanted to meet him.

Uchiha Hiko met Hanzo of the Salamander in Amegakure and warned him that Iwagakure and Sunagakure intended to eliminate Amegakure. Hanzo agreed to discuss joining forces with Konoha, though neither leader was willing to submit to the other.

• Hanzo of the Salamander went to meet Uchiha Hiko at a restaurant after learning Hiko wanted to recruit him into Konoha's camp.
• Hiko kept his distance from Hanzo and told him Iwagakure and Sunagakure were targeting Amegakure.
• Hiko started to leave after Hanzo dismissed the warning, prompting Hanzo to call him back.
• Hanzo asked how their forces could join together, and Hiko proposed an alliance against Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
• Hanzo and Hiko recognized that their alliance would not involve either side submitting to the other's command.

Hiko told Hatake Sakumo that Konoha would let Iwagakure and Sunagakure fight Amegakure and weaken one another before intervening. Meanwhile, Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage met to discuss the likely alliance between Konoha and Amegakure.

• Hiko left Amegakure with Hatake Sakumo after telling Hanzo of the Salamander to wait for Iwagakure and Sunagakure to approach him.
• Hiko explained to Hatake Sakumo that Konoha would not help Amegakure and would instead wait for the villages to exhaust one another.
• Hiko and Hatake Sakumo returned to camp, where Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru welcomed their food.
• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage met with a few guards to discuss whether Konoha and Amegakure had allied.
• Ōnoki estimated that the alliance was seventy percent likely, enough for him and the Third Kazekage to treat it as real.

Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage decided to strike Amegakure before fighting Konoha, and the Second Ninja War erupted early as Iwagakure and Sunagakure invaded. With Hanzo requesting Konoha’s promised aid, Hiko gathered his commanders to discuss how Konoha should respond.

• Ōnoki argued that Iwagakure and Sunagakure had to cripple Amegakure before turning against Konoha, and the Third Kazekage agreed to prepare for an early strike.
• Two days later, Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage learned that Amegakure was preparing for war and concluded it had sided with Konoha.
• Iwagakure and Sunagakure sent shinobi into Amegakure, and Hanzo mobilized his forces while repeatedly requesting Konoha’s aid under their agreement.
• The Second Ninja War began in Konoha Year 30, drawing Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Konoha, and Amegakure into a state of war.
• Hiko asked Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and the other commanders to discuss whether Konoha should send forces to help Amegakure.

With Iwagakure and Sunagakure launching a joint invasion of the Land of Rain, Hiko reconsidered his plan to let the villages wear one another down. He ordered Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to lead five hundred Konoha shinobi to reinforce Amegakure without letting it grow too strong.

• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage sent a large force into the Land of Rain, causing Amegakure to suffer heavy losses.
• Hatake Sakumo proposed that Konoha reinforce Amegakure before Iwagakure and Sunagakure crushed it.
• Hiko weighed the arguments for and against helping Amegakure, then decided to send limited reinforcements.
• Hiko ordered Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to lead five hundred shinobi to Amegakure and use their judgment about how deeply to commit.

Hiko’s plan to use Wood Style against Ōnoki’s camp was stopped by his officers, leaving him stuck managing the frontline Command Center. Back in Konoha, Uchiha elders worried that the clan was being left out of the war effort.

• Hiko assigned authority to three subordinates, then proposed taking one thousand ninja to attack Iwagakure’s camp with Wood Style.
• Tsunade and the other officers opposed Hiko leaving the Command Center, so he shelved the plan.
• Hiko complained about the lack of capable administrators and considered gathering people to help with personnel and supply management.
• Uchiha elders in Konoha discussed the growing troop and supply movements and worried that only a few Uchiha had been mobilized.
• The Fifth Elder lamented the clan’s awkward position, with no clan head, the Great Elder ill, and Hiko occupied on the frontline.

The Uchiha elders struggled to decide clan matters without Uchiha Hiko and asked the Third Elder to contact him about Uchiha Fugaku’s possible place on the Elder Council and sending young disciples to war. Meanwhile, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru joined Hanzo of the Salamander to resist Iwagakure and Sunagakure, while Hiko monitored the conflict and diverted enemy forces.

• The Fifth Elder and the other elders asked the Third Elder to contact Hiko and seek his input on clan leadership, Uchiha Fugaku’s promotion, and sending young disciples to the front.
• The Third Elder reluctantly agreed to contact Hiko on behalf of the Uchiha Family.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru led five hundred Konoha shinobi into the Land of Rain and joined Hanzo of the Salamander’s forces against Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
• Hiko monitored the fighting from the Command Center and sent several hundred shinobi to harass the enemy and draw off its forces.
• Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi raided civilians for food and supplies, further angering Hanzo of the Salamander.