Chapter Summaries

Hiko considered how to gain control of Konoha’s Logistics and Medical Departments while the Third struggled with the Senju Clan’s losses. On a mission in the Land of Rice, Nawaki Senju questioned Orochimaru about why the village had replaced Hiko as commander.

• Hiko told the Third that he could not withdraw the Senju Clan members without provoking the clan, leaving him to bear responsibility for their losses.
• Hiko left the Hokage’s Office and hoped Orochimaru’s hidden evidence would help bring Danzo down and eventually expose the Logistics Department to takeover.
• Orochimaru comforted Nawaki Senju on a mission in the Land of Rice and handed him rations.
• Nawaki Senju asked Orochimaru why the village had replaced Hiko as commander, believing Hiko’s continued leadership might have prevented the Senju Clan’s heavy casualties.

Nawaki Senju questioned Orochimaru about Konoha’s decision to keep the Uchiha Clan out of the fighting, but Orochimaru told him to ask Tsunade. Meanwhile, the Third Raikage pursued the Nine-Tails through the Land of Lightning as it traveled toward the coast in search of the Seven-Tails.

• Nawaki Senju asked Orochimaru why Konoha had refused to let the Uchiha Clan join the battle, and Orochimaru said he could not explain and told him to ask Tsunade.
• Nawaki Senju’s teammates interrupted before he could press Orochimaru, and the team set off for Konoha.
• The Third Raikage met with the Nine-Tails’ watchers, learned it had made no trouble, and ordered them to keep its presence secret.
• The Third Raikage led his men after the Nine-Tails, which continued toward the coastline following the Seven-Tails’ faint scent.
• The Nine-Tails reflected that its arrangement with Hiko left it free to travel, though it still dreaded Hiko’s methods.

The Nine-Tails wandered through the Land of Lightning after regaining its freedom, then confronted the Third Raikage and his Elite Jonin, who had come to capture it. The battle began with the Third Raikage striking the Nine-Tails with a fast, powerful punch.

• The Nine-Tails entered the Land of Lightning while searching for the Seven-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails sensed approaching Chakra signatures and realized the Third Raikage’s group intended to capture it.
• The Third Raikage warned his Elite Jonin to restrain the Nine-Tails while he fought it himself.
• Enraged by the group’s plan, the Nine-Tails lashed its tails at them and forced them to dodge.
• The Third Raikage used Lightning Release Armor to evade the tails and punch the Nine-Tails in the shoulder.

Hiko reflected on the Third Raikage’s speed as the Raikage battled the Nine-Tails. The Nine-Tails’ attacks failed to stop him, and the chapter ended with the beast’s needle-like fur harmlessly bouncing off the Raikage.

• Hiko considered how his speed compared with the Third Raikage’s Lightning Release Armor and resolved to keep improving.
• The Nine-Tails tried to bite the Third Raikage, but he evaded it and struck the beast while protecting his subordinates.
• The Nine-Tails predicted the Raikage’s approach and swung its claw, but he met it head-on and sent the beast sliding backward.
• The Nine-Tails stiffened its fur into steel-like needles and fired them at the Third Raikage and the Kumogakure Elite Jonin.
• The Kumogakure Elite Jonin raised an Earth Wall, while the Third Raikage shielded only his eyes and suffered no harm from the needles.

The Third Raikage fought the Nine-Tails while Hiko realized Kumogakure was likely trying to capture it. At a Konoha high-level meeting about reorganizing the Medical Department, the Third Hokage challenged Hiko to suggest a countermeasure.

• The Third Raikage taunted the Nine-Tails and fought it head-on to draw its attention away from his subordinates.
• Hiko sensed the Nine-Tails’ fury from Konoha and deduced that the Third Raikage was likely battling it while Xiao Ai commanded Kumogakure’s forces.
• Hiko smiled at the meeting, drawing the attention of the Third Hokage and the other Konoha higher-ups.
• The Third Hokage asked Hiko whether he had thought of a countermeasure for the Medical Department’s shortage of medical ninja and medicine.

Hiko told Konoha's leaders that the Third Raikage had attacked the Nine-Tails, then challenged them to address the Medical Department's shortage of personnel during the war. The Shimura Great Elder confirmed that Konoha had ample funds for reforms.

• Hiko explained that he had laughed because someone had tried to capture the Nine-Tails, which he now considered his private property and Summoned Beast.
• Hiko identified Kumogakure's Third Raikage as the likely attacker and said the Nine-Tails could fight him.
• Hiko reminded Konoha's leaders that they had rejected Tsunade's proposal to reorganize the Medical Department and asked how they would handle its wartime staffing problems.
• Hiko proposed changing Medical Ninja recruitment and training so more children could be guided into the role.
• Hiko questioned the Shimura Great Elder about Konoha's finances, and the Great Elder said the village could afford reforms despite the war.

Hiko pushed Konoha’s leaders to approve reorganizing the Medical Department, then left to deal with the increasingly volatile Nine-Tails. Elsewhere, the Nine-Tails battled the Third Raikage, whose speed and durability wore it down as it tried to adapt its attacks.

• Hiko argued that Konoha had the funds to reorganize the Medical Department and criticized the elders for delaying reform.
• Hiko left the meeting, and the Third Hokage backed the proposal, which passed unanimously despite Utatane Koharu’s resentment toward Hiko.
• Hiko sensed the Nine-Tails growing volatile and resolved to bring it back before anything went wrong.
• The Third Raikage fought the Nine-Tails while his subordinates lay unconscious, and both combatants were wounded and depleted.
• The Nine-Tails attacked with its tails and then prepared a smaller, faster Tailed Beast Ball to try to hit the Third Raikage.

The Third Raikage and his subordinates fought the Nine-Tails, but the beast vanished through Summoning Jutsu before he could strike. The Third Raikage concluded that Uchiha Hiko had taken it and ordered his forces back to Kumogakure.

• The Third Raikage prepared his Hell Stab as the Nine-Tails launched a Tailed Beast Ball at him.
• The Nine-Tails suddenly faltered, causing its attack to veer away, then shrank and disappeared in a flash of white light.
• The Third Raikage realized the Nine-Tails had been summoned away, leaving Kumogakure’s surveillance and battle effort wasted.
• The Third Raikage deduced that Uchiha Hiko had taken the Nine-Tails, based on his control of the Seven-Tails and the beast’s connection to Konoha.
• The Third Raikage ordered his subordinates to return to Kumogakure so they could recover before he returned to command the Land of Earth battlefield.

Hiko summoned the wounded Nine-Tails and explained how the Third Raikage had fought it and the Eight-Tails. The Nine-Tails learned that the Eight-Tails had turned the Raikage’s Hell Stab against him, and Hiko considered how he might use the same tactic.

• Hiko summoned the injured Nine-Tails into a forest and teased it about its battle with the Third Raikage.
• The Nine-Tails praised the Third Raikage’s strength but insisted it would have won if their fight had continued.
• Hiko told the Nine-Tails that the Third Raikage had repeatedly suppressed the Eight-Tails and had been wounded during one such fight.
• Hiko explained that the Eight-Tails had redirected the Third Raikage’s Hell Stab, causing him to strike himself.
• The Nine-Tails relaxed and decided that it could also use the Eight-Tails’ tactic, while Hiko thought about exploiting the Raikage’s attack trajectory.

Uchiha Hiko told the recovering Nine-Tails he would confront the Third Raikage for trying to capture it, while the Third Raikage returned to the war against Iwagakure. He told Xiao Ai that Hiko had summoned the Nine-Tails away, leaving the Raikage wary of Hiko’s power and possible retaliation.

• Hiko told the Nine-Tails to rest and promised to demand an explanation from the Third Raikage for the capture attempt.
• The Third Raikage returned to the Land of Earth battlefield and resumed pressuring Ōnoki and Iwagakure.
• Xiao Ai rushed to the Third Raikage and asked what had happened during the failed attempt to capture the Nine-Tails.
• The Third Raikage admitted the failure and said the Nine-Tails had been summoned away at a crucial moment.
• The Third Raikage warned himself to take Hiko seriously, while Xiao Ai struggled to believe Hiko could use the Nine-Tails as a Summoned Beast.

The Third Raikage reassured Xiao Ai after comparing Uchiha Hiko’s power and influence to legendary shinobi, then discussed pressing Iwagakure in their ongoing war. Back in Konoha, an exhausted Tsunade visited Hiko and eagerly ate and drank after returning from the battlefield.

• The Third Raikage cited Hiko’s contracts with the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails as proof that he could control Tailed Beasts, leaving Xiao Ai unable to argue.
• The Third Raikage comforted Xiao Ai and asked how the war was going; Xiao Ai reported that he had slowed Kumogakure’s offensive while Ōnoki kept Iwagakure’s forces cautious.
• The Third Raikage praised Xiao Ai for stabilizing the front and said Kumogakure should steadily pressure Iwagakure into accepting defeat.
• Tsunade returned to Konoha on short leave and went to see Hiko, complaining about the battlefield food as she devoured a meal and drank alcohol.
• Hiko urged Tsunade to eat slowly, while Tsunade blushed at his attention before continuing her meal.

Tsunade returned to Konoha exhausted by the war and the deaths of Mito Uzumaki and many Senju, and she stayed with Hiko while considering whether to remain in the village to oversee medical reforms. After Tsunade and Nawaki Senju mourned Mito at the cemetery, Nawaki confronted Hiko about living with Tsunade and demanded to know when they would get married.

• Tsunade told Hiko she might never return to the Land of Wind and would stay in Konoha if the village assigned her to oversee Medical Department reforms.
• Tsunade rested at Hiko's home while the Third Hokage delayed major decisions about the Medical Department.
• Hiko accompanied Tsunade to Mito Uzumaki's grave, where Nawaki Senju joined his sister and they mourned in the rain.
• Nawaki Senju confronted Hiko outside the cemetery about Tsunade staying at his house and demanded to know when they would get married.

Hiko teased Nawaki Senju while Tsunade mourned at Mito Uzumaki’s grave, and the siblings later met privately to talk. Nawaki asked why Danzo had been sent to command the front against Sunagakure instead of Hiko, leaving Tsunade to respond after a tense pause.

• Hiko dismissed Nawaki Senju’s complaints and teased him about becoming an uncle, making Nawaki furious.
• Tsunade returned from Mito Uzumaki’s grave in the rain, scolded Nawaki for being without an umbrella, and heard Hiko explain their argument.
• Hiko suggested they return as the rain grew heavier, and Nawaki asked Tsunade to speak with him privately once they reached the village.
• Tsunade took Nawaki to a restaurant, where he asked why Danzo had been sent to command the war against Sunagakure instead of Hiko.
• Tsunade paused, set down her chopsticks, poured herself alcohol, and drank before answering.

Tsunade tried to keep Nawaki Senju from asking about the village’s wartime decisions, then offered an explanation about why it had rejected the Uchiha Clan’s request to fight. Nawaki finally stopped asking about the war, only to provoke Tsunade with questions about her marriage to Hiko.

• Tsunade refused to tell Nawaki why the village rotated forces and why the Senju Clan had suffered so many losses, insisting he was too young to understand.
• Tsunade agreed to answer another question, and Nawaki asked why the village had rejected the Uchiha Clan’s offer to fight.
• Tsunade claimed Konoha needed to keep reserve forces available while it fought Sunagakure, and Nawaki accepted the explanation enough to start eating.
• Nawaki asked whether Hiko would return to the battlefield, and Tsunade told him that it depended on the village’s arrangements.
• Nawaki asked when Tsunade and Hiko would marry and whether they planned to have a child before the wedding, making Tsunade sputter and threaten him.

Tsunade returned to the Land of Wind battlefield to develop an antidote after Sunagakure's new poison caused heavy casualties among Konoha's ninja. When Danzo pressured her and implied she was delaying, Tsunade demanded to be transferred back to the village and offered to take the Senju Clan members with her.

• Tsunade beat Nawaki for claiming she would give him a nephew before she married Hiko, then went to the Medical Department.
• Tsunade left the village after an urgent message reported that Sunagakure's new poison had thrown Konoha's forces into disarray.
• Tsunade worked nearly two days without sleep and told Danzo she had identified the poison's principles but could not promise when the antidote would be ready.
• Danzo invoked the Senju Clan members among the casualties to pressure Tsunade, who demanded a transfer back to the village and said she would take her clansmen with her.
• Danzo exploded at Tsunade for challenging him as Commander-in-Chief.

Tsunade developed an antidote to Sunagakure’s poison after clashing with Danzo, then withdrew from the Logistics and Medical Departments because he had pressured her without giving her proper authority. Danzo struggled with the work she left behind, and news of his conduct enraged the Third Hokage while Hiko mocked him.

• Tsunade argued with Danzo over his demands and left to rest after the Sarutobi Clan representative helped defuse their conflict.
• Danzo accepted Tsunade’s withdrawal, knowing he could not afford to lose her antidote work during the war with Sunagakure.
• Tsunade developed the antidote within days, then stopped handling Logistics and Medical Department affairs.
• Danzo took over the abandoned responsibilities himself and became exhausted rather than asking Tsunade for help.
• The Third Hokage cursed Danzo after learning what had happened, while Hiko ridiculed Danzo for courting disaster.

Hiko reflected on the prolonged war and Uchiha Fugaku’s growing authority in the Police Force while the Second Elder teased him about taking Minato Namikaze as a student. With Jiraiya still away, Hiko remained the Third Hokage’s preferred candidate to mentor Minato, who was about to graduate early.

• Hiko praised Uchiha Fugaku’s ability, while the Second Elder noted complaints about the Police Force’s extreme methods and teased him about Mikoto Uchiha.
• The Second Elder brought up the war, which had dragged on for years as Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure continued fighting.
• Hiko said he was content to rest in the village rather than go to the frontline.
• The Third Elder reminded Hiko that the Third Hokage wanted him to lead graduating students, particularly Minato Namikaze, since Jiraiya had not returned.
• The Second Elder asked Hiko how he planned to assess the children.

Hiko discussed Minato Namikaze’s potential with the Second Elder, then went to the Hokage Office after the Third Hokage summoned him. The Third Hokage pressed Hiko to accept a file and train the village’s children, and Hiko finally gave in.

• Hiko told the Second Elder that Minato could become a pillar of the village if he grew up on the right path.
• The Second Elder doubted Hiko’s assessment, but Hiko said Minato’s growth would prove his potential within a few years.
• An Anbu ninja delivered the Third Hokage’s order for Hiko to report to the Hokage Office Building.
• The Third Hokage held out a file and insisted that Hiko take on the children’s training.
• Hiko complained that the Third Hokage had not been so attentive when training him, then accepted the file.

Hiko accepted the task of teaching Minato Namikaze, Ainoino Ki, and Adachi Aida, though he worried about the responsibility and refused to discuss the frontline war with the Third Hokage. When he arrived at the Ninja Academy, he startled the three children by announcing that he would be their Teacher and asking if they were ready to be abused.

• Hiko agreed to take Minato Namikaze, Ainoino Ki, and Adachi Aida as students and requested access to most Ninjutsu Scrolls.
• Hiko refused the Third Hokage's attempt to discuss the frontline war and left the Hokage's Office to prepare for his new students.
• Minato Namikaze, Ainoino Ki, and Adachi Aida waited anxiously at the Ninja Academy, wondering who their Teacher would be and whether they would pass the final assessment.
• Hiko arrived at the Academy, opened the door, and shocked the three children by declaring himself their Teacher and asking if they were ready to be abused.

Uchiha Hiko revealed himself as Minato Namikaze, Ainoino Ki, and Adachi Aida’s teacher and warned them not to make him angry. He introduced their assessment for the following day, then heard each child describe their hobbies and dreams.

• Uchiha Hiko confirmed that he was the trio’s teacher and warned them about his temper.
• Hiko took Minato Namikaze, Ainoino Ki, and Adachi Aida to an open space behind the school and told them their assessment would take place the next day.
• Hiko introduced himself as the Uchiha Clan Head and the village’s Head of Anbu, then asked his students to introduce themselves.
• Minato Namikaze said he liked reading and dreamed of becoming Hokage.
• Ainoino Ki said he liked barbecue and wanted to become a ninja as strong as Hiko.
• Adachi Aida said she liked research and dreamed of becoming a Medical Ninja as strong as Tsunade.