Chapter Summaries

After leaving the Hokage Office Building, Hiko found Dan Katō trying to take Tsunade to dinner and made it clear that she was his woman. Dan retreated after Hiko threatened him, while Tsunade rebuked Hiko for frightening away anyone who might approach her.

• Hiko left Jiraiya with Minato Namikaze and headed to the Medical Department to see how it had developed under Tsunade.
• Dan Katō repeatedly invited Tsunade to dinner, but she refused and reminded him that she would only meet him about the Medical Department.
• Hiko interrupted Dan, put his arm around Tsunade, kissed her cheek, and warned Dan to stop pursuing her.
• Dan apologized and left quickly after Hiko threatened him, then stiffened when Hiko said he wanted to kill him.
• Tsunade scolded Hiko for making people afraid to approach her, and Hiko insisted that Dan had bad intentions.

Hiko and Tsunade ate together while she complained about being burdened with the Medical Department and Senju Clan responsibilities. Tsunade asked Hiko to become Hokage so Nawaki could focus on the clan, then eagerly asked whether Hiko had a way to resolve her problem.

• Hiko stopped groping Tsunade in the Medical Department hallway and took her to eat.
• Tsunade drank wine and complained that the Medical Department and Senju Clan had left her with too much work.
• Tsunade said the Senju Clan should be preparing Nawaki to take responsibility, but Nawaki only cared about becoming Hokage.
• Tsunade asked Hiko to pursue the Hokage position so Nawaki would give up his dream and manage the clan.
• Hiko asked whether there was anything in it for him, and Tsunade promised to agree as long as his request was not too excessive.

Hiko advised Tsunade to force Nawaki Senju to take responsibility for the Senju Clan’s affairs so he could learn to lead. Tsunade resolved to try his approach, while worrying about the clan’s decline and her brother’s immaturity.

• Tsunade noticed Hiko looked younger and teased him about his smooth face, making him threaten to deal with her if she laughed again.
• Hiko told Tsunade to make Nawaki Senju handle the clan’s affairs, beating him or undermining his confidence if he refused.
• Tsunade accepted Hiko’s advice and agreed to teach Kyuku Uzumaki the technique he mentioned.
• After Hiko left for a bath and clean clothes, Tsunade reflected on the Senju Clan’s decline and Nawaki’s spoiled, immature nature.
• Tsunade thought Nawaki Senju increasingly resembled the clan’s ancient ancestor, Asura, though he was still young.

Tsunade forced Nawaki Senju to learn clan affairs, while Hiko met Hatake Sakumo and his young son, Kakashi, for barbecue. Kakashi was set to enter the Ninja Academy, and Hiko left the question of having children with Tsunade to fate.

• Tsunade refused Nawaki Senju's pleas and made him study clan affairs, eventually convincing him that he needed to learn if he wanted to become Hokage.
• Hiko teased Kakashi at the barbecue restaurant, messed up his hair, and made him call him Uncle.
• Hatake Sakumo told Hiko he planned to send four-year-old Kakashi to the Ninja Academy so he could make friends.
• Hiko agreed that Kakashi should attend the Academy and thought of the friends he would meet there, including Nohara Rin, Uchiha Obito, and Might Guy.
• Hatake Sakumo tactfully asked Hiko about having children with Tsunade, and Hiko said he would leave it to fate.

Kakashi went to the Ninja Academy while Konoha’s leaders and clans worked to recover from the Second Ninja War. Hiko discussed the Uchiha Clan’s cautious plans before encountering Uchiha Obito being mocked for wanting to become Hokage.

• Kakashi reluctantly obeyed Hatake Sakumo and went to the Ninja Academy.
• Hiko and Konoha’s leaders worked to rebuild the Anbu and Medical Department as the village recovered from the war.
• Tsunade handed the Senju Clan’s affairs to Nawaki Senju and focused on expanding the Medical Department.
• Hiko told the Second Elder that the Uchiha Clan should prioritize gaining a foothold in the Medical and Logistics Departments without moving too quickly.
• Hiko heard Uchiha Obito insist that he would become Hokage, while the other children mocked him.

Hiko reviewed Anbu recruitment files and found Mikoto Uchiha’s third application, which she had submitted because she wanted to be closer to him. He left her application undecided and discussed it with the Great Elder, who teased him about his youthful appearance.

• Hiko arranged for Uchiha Obito to attend the Ninja Academy and then turned his attention to Anbu recruitment.
• Hiko reviewed candidate files and found Mikoto Uchiha’s third application to join the Anbu.
• Hiko set Mikoto Uchiha’s file aside while he finished reviewing the other candidates.
• Hiko returned to the clan and showed Mikoto Uchiha’s file to the Great Elder.
• The Great Elder teased Hiko about remaining young-looking while Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had aged.

Hiko and the Great Elder discussed Mikoto Uchiha’s repeated attempts to join the Anbu, and the Great Elder finally agreed to let her pursue her own path. Hiko planned to place her in a clerical role, while Mikoto waited anxiously to learn whether her third application would be accepted.

• The Great Elder read Mikoto Uchiha’s request and reacted angrily, but Hiko refused to get drawn into their disagreement.
• After drinking tea with Hiko, the Great Elder accepted that he could not keep controlling his grown daughter.
• Hiko proposed assigning Mikoto a clerical position in the Anbu, and the Great Elder agreed because it would keep her away from dangerous missions.
• At a barbecue restaurant, Mikoto told Kushina that she had applied to join the Anbu again and feared being rejected for a third time.
• Kushina reassured Mikoto that she probably would not be rejected, though she sounded uncertain.

Kushina comforted Mikoto Uchiha about her repeated failure to join the Anbu, while their conversation about admirers and romance left Kushina questioning what kind of person she liked. Mikoto returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, and Kushina headed for the Hokage Office Building still comparing the boys around her to Hiko.

• Kushina encouraged Mikoto Uchiha to stay optimistic about passing the Anbu selection, and Mikoto tried to regain her confidence.
• Kushina asked whether Mikoto Uchiha's admirer was still pursuing her, and Mikoto dismissed him while boasting about her many admirers.
• Mikoto Uchiha teased Kushina about her own romantic prospects, and Kushina admitted she disliked the boys around her because they seemed foolish.
• Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha finished their barbecue and went their separate ways, with Mikoto heading to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and Kushina toward the Hokage Office Building.
• Kushina questioned what kind of person she liked and realized she was comparing everyone around her to Hiko.

Hiko pushed the Uchiha elders to expand the clan’s businesses by opening restaurants, arguing that they could no longer afford to stay cautious. The elders accepted his decision but raised the problem that the clan lacked storefronts in good locations.

• Hiko proposed refining clan affairs and expanding Uchiha businesses, while an elder warned that the clan should keep a low profile.
• Hiko argued that the clan had earned the villagers’ goodwill and should use it to develop its businesses, and he defended Uchiha Fugaku’s tough work in the Police Force as a way to draw attention away from the clan.
• Hiko angrily insisted that the Uchiha should pursue the food industry and stop fearing other clans, prompting the elders to fall silent.
• The Great Elder supported Hiko’s decision, and the newly appointed Sixth Elder pointed out that the Uchiha lacked suitable storefronts and could not afford costly locations.

Hiko arranged for the Uchiha elders to handle clan reforms while he pursued prime storefronts in Konoha for the clan. He demanded the land from the Third Hokage as compensation, threatening to seize it himself if the village refused.

• Hiko promised the Sixth Elder he would secure a location for the Uchiha’s business plans, and the elders began organizing the remaining arrangements.
• After Hiko left the Clan Ancestral Hall, the Third Elder worried about the upheaval, while the Great Elder supported the reforms and discussed preparations with the others.
• Hiko visited the Hokage Office Building, marked nearly half of Konoha’s most prosperous street on a map, and demanded that the Third Hokage allocate its shops to him.
• Hiko said he wanted the land for several large restaurants and claimed it was compensation the village owed the Uchiha.
• Hiko warned that if the Third Hokage refused, he would take all the land himself, and the Third Hokage realized the dispute could become serious.

Hiko pressured the Third Hokage to make Konoha’s clans surrender shops on a prosperous street, using the threat of exposing their scandals. The Third Hokage agreed to enlist several clans, while Hiko left to secure the Senju and Hatake Clans’ cooperation.

• The Third Hokage struggled to respond to Hiko’s demand for a third of the street’s shops, fearing the consequences if Hiko exposed the clans’ scandals.
• The Third Hokage said he could not grant Hiko’s request himself, then proposed that the Senju Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and the Hatake Clan take the lead.
• Hiko agreed to persuade the Senju and Hatake Clans and asked for Shikaku Nara to serve by his side, along with the Ino-Shika-Cho’s shops in the area.
• The Third Hokage agreed to approach the Ino-Shika-Cho if Hiko secured the Senju and Hatake Clans’ cooperation.
• Hiko left the Hokage’s Office and sent an Anbu member to summon Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo for an urgent meeting.
• The Third Hokage watched Hiko leave and worried that giving him control of the Anbu had let him investigate too many secrets.

Hiko asked Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo for their clans’ storefronts on Konoha’s busiest street to build a luxurious restaurant with lodging, hot springs, and entertainment. Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo agreed, while the Third Hokage prepared to discuss obtaining other clans’ land with the Nara Clan Head.

• The Third Hokage agreed to Hiko’s request and summoned the Nara Clan Head before meeting with the other clan heads.
• Hiko called Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo to the old tavern and asked for their clans’ storefronts on Busy Street.
• Tsunade agreed immediately, and Hatake Sakumo was stunned when Hiko said the project would take up about a third of the area.
• Hiko explained that he planned a luxurious restaurant with lodging, hot springs, and other entertainment facilities, and that the Third Hokage would approach the other clans.
• Hatake Sakumo agreed to provide the Hatake Clan’s storefronts, though he worried about explaining the decision to the clan elders.

The Third Hokage persuaded the Nara Clan Head to support Uchiha Hiko’s demand for nearly half the Shops on Busy Street, warning that Hiko had leverage against the clans. The clan managers gathered at the Hokage Office Building were stunned when the Third Hokage presented the demand.

• The Third Hokage told the Nara Clan Head that Uchiha Hiko wanted nearly half the Shops on Busy Street and asked Ino-Shika-Cho to lead the other clans in agreeing.
• The Nara Clan Head realized Hiko likely had incriminating evidence and agreed that Ino-Shika-Cho would cooperate with the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage told the Nara Clan Head that Hiko wanted Shikaku Nara to report to the Anbu the next day.
• The Third Hokage summoned the clan managers who owned land and storefronts in Hiko’s chosen areas to a meeting, including members of the Shimura Clan.
• The Third Hokage presented Hiko’s demands to the gathered clan managers, who were stunned.

Hiko secured the prime locations for the Uchiha’s Luxury Hotel by persuading Konoha’s clans to surrender their storefronts, and construction began immediately. He then brought Shikaku Nara into the Anbu and entrusted him with handling nearly all its affairs.

• The clans agreed to give the Uchiha prime locations in exchange for Hiko keeping their damaging secrets concealed.
• Clan members moved their storefronts, the buildings were demolished, and workers began building the Uchiha’s Luxury Hotel.
• Mikoto Uchiha and Shikaku Nara joined Hiko in the Head of Anbu’s office, where Hiko welcomed them as his subordinates.
• Hiko told Shikaku Nara to learn to manage Anbu affairs and put all Anbu matters through his hands, leaving Shikaku stunned.

Shikaku Nara began handling Anbu’s sensitive paperwork after Hiko appointed him to a senior role. Mikoto Uchiha joined Anbu for clerical work, bringing her closer to Hiko as she served him tea and watched him work.

• Hiko sent Shikaku Nara to a nearby office to take up his new duties, and Shikaku was unnerved by the sensitive intelligence he had to review.
• Hiko told Mikoto Uchiha that her father had finally agreed to let her join Anbu, but only for clerical work and not dangerous missions.
• Mikoto Uchiha happily accepted the arrangement and joked that she could serve tea, warm Hiko’s bed, and fold blankets.
• Hiko stopped teasing Mikoto Uchiha and focused on his work while she quietly watched him and brought him tea.
• Hiko reflected angrily on how public opinion had contributed to Hatake Sakumo’s death.

Hiko declined Mikoto Uchiha’s invitation to dinner and went to meet the Third Hokage, who asked him to review a proposal about tougher Ninja Academy training and sending Hiko’s disciples into the Anbu. Hiko agreed to take Minato Namikaze on missions but said the other two disciples should wait until they were stronger.

• Mikoto Uchiha invited Hiko to dinner, but he told her he was going to the Hokage Office Building and suggested she eat with Kushina instead.
• Hiko visited the Third Hokage, who handed him a document proposing harsher Ninja Academy training and direct Anbu assignments for Hiko’s three disciples.
• Hiko questioned whether the proposed teachers could safely handle the children and whether all three disciples were ready for Anbu missions.
• Hiko agreed that Minato Namikaze could join the Anbu and said he would personally lead him on missions, but he postponed the other two disciples’ assignments until they improved their strength.

Hiko agreed to let Minato Namikaze join the Anbu while keeping his other disciples out until they were strong enough. After the Third Hokage handed Hiko personnel arrangements, Hiko considered how to share the positions without giving the Uchiha too much influence, then told Jiraiya that Minato would soon join the Anbu.

• Hiko agreed that Minato Namikaze could join the Anbu but said his other disciples lacked the strength to join safely.
• The Third Hokage left Hiko to handle the personnel arrangements and hinted that he might retire, but Hiko dismissed the idea.
• The Third Hokage privately worried that Hiko's standing left no clear successor for Hokage among the younger generation.
• Hiko considered how to appoint people from multiple clans without letting the Uchiha take every position.
• Jiraiya complained about teaching Minato Namikaze, and Hiko told him that the Third Hokage wanted Minato to join the Anbu.

Hiko and Jiraiya discussed Minato Namikaze joining the Anbu, and Hiko decided Minato should enter immediately while his teammates waited. The next day, Minato accepted the Third Hokage’s order to join the Anbu.

• Hiko told Jiraiya that Minato Namikaze would enter the Anbu the next day, while the other two would have to wait.
• Jiraiya hesitated to explain why Mount Myōboku’s toads resisted Hiko training him and Orochimaru, so Hiko let the matter drop.
• Hiko paid for Jiraiya to visit the Red-Light District, then left the restaurant.
• Minato Namikaze arrived at the Hokage's Office, where the Third Hokage told him that he would join the Anbu before his teammates.
• Minato Namikaze accepted the arrangement and said he would obey the Third Hokage and Hiko.

Minato Namikaze officially joined Anbu, and Hiko gave him Hatake Kakashi's file to assess. After Minato praised Kakashi's talent, Hiko put the responsibility for keeping an eye on him in Minato's hands.

• The Third Hokage officially appointed Minato Namikaze to Anbu and assigned Hiko to handle the arrangements.
• Hiko gave Minato Namikaze a file on Hatake Kakashi and asked him to evaluate the boy.
• Minato Namikaze read the file and praised Hatake Kakashi as an exceptionally talented child.
• Hiko told Minato Namikaze to keep a closer eye on Hatake Kakashi from then on.

Hiko took Minato Namikaze, Mikoto Uchiha, and Shikaku Nara on an Anbu mission to the Land of Lightning, warning them that it would be bloody and stressing the secrecy of Anbu operations. The group reached the Land of Lightning and saw its vine-supported mountains, but the mission itself had not yet begun.

• Hiko brought Minato Namikaze to Anbu headquarters, warned him to keep its secrets, and assigned Shikaku Nara to help him collect equipment.
• Hiko included Mikoto Uchiha and Shikaku Nara in training the new recruits and led them out with an Elite Jonin bodyguard squad.
• Minato Namikaze questioned why the squad was accompanying them, and Mikoto Uchiha explained that the Third Hokage had ordered protection for the Captain.
• Hiko led the group out of Konoha toward the Land of Lightning and warned the newcomers that the mission would be bloody.
• Mikoto Uchiha admired the Land of Lightning's mountains, which appeared to float but were supported by vines.