Chapter Summaries

Ronglin accepted the Third Hokage’s authority to negotiate with Kirigakure and planned to pressure the village by slowly releasing its captured ninja if the talks failed. Afterward, Yagura approached him privately, and Ronglin led him to the Three-Tails Sealing Site.

• The Third Hokage appointed Ronglin to represent Konoha in negotiations with Kirigakure.
• Ronglin warned that he might not be able to control the talks, but the Third Hokage told him to release the captured mist ninja in batches if negotiations failed.
• Ronglin left the Hokage’s Office and wondered how he would torment Kirigakure’s representatives.
• Yagura approached Ronglin and asked to talk, so Ronglin led him outside the village.
• Ronglin dismissed the Anbu Ninja guarding the Three-Tails Sealing Site and brought Yagura inside.

Uchiha Ronglin took control of Konoha’s negotiations with Yagura over the Three-Tails and made clear that Kirigakure would need to offer terms that satisfied him. Yagura demanded to hear Ronglin’s conditions, leaving the negotiations at a tense turning point.

• Ronglin sent the Anbu away, and Yagura challenged him over his influence in Konoha.
• Ronglin told Yagura that the Hokage had handed him full authority over the negotiations.
• Ronglin revealed that the Three-Tails was sealed beneath them and that he alone controlled its fate.
• Ronglin warned that he might keep the Three-Tails for Konoha, prompting Yagura to demand his terms.

Ronglin demanded Mei Terumi and another person from Yagura in exchange for the Three-Tails, refusing to negotiate without her. He left Yagura to consider the ultimatum, while Yagura wondered whether Ronglin truly wanted Mei Terumi or would make similar demands of other villages.

• Ronglin said he wanted two people in exchange for the Three-Tails.
• Ronglin named Mei Terumi as his main demand and dismissed the other person as a bonus.
• Yagura said he lacked the authority to decide for Mei Terumi, who came from a Kirigakure clan.
• Ronglin refused to make a deal without Mei Terumi and said the Three-Tails could stay in Konoha as his pet.
• Ronglin told Yagura to think it over and left, while Yagura speculated about his motives and reputation.

Yagura learned that Uchiha Ronglin had taken control of negotiations over the Three-Tails and demanded Mei Terumi as part of the exchange. He returned to the Kirigakure delegation, leaving them stunned by the condition.

• Yagura left after deciding not to attempt to take the Three-Tails from Ronglin.
• Yagura told the delegation that the Third Hokage had handed authority to Ronglin, who would now handle negotiations.
• Yagura explained that Ronglin would exchange the Three-Tails for Mei Terumi and one other person, and would keep it as a pet if Mei was excluded.
• The delegation reacted with disbelief to Ronglin's demand.

News spread through Konoha that Uchiha Ronglin planned to trade the Three-Tails for Mei Terumi, shocking the village and the Third Hokage. Uchiha Fugaku confronted Ronglin, who used genjutsu on him, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• An Anbu reported to the Third Hokage that Kirigakure's delegation had spread news of Ronglin's planned trade of the Three-Tails for Mei Terumi.
• The Third Hokage chose not to interfere, saying Ronglin could handle the matter himself.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked Ronglin why he considered the trade worthwhile, and Ronglin said Mei Terumi was worth it.
• Fugaku angrily accused Ronglin of disregarding the Uchiha, and Ronglin used genjutsu on him.

Ronglin confronted Uchiha Fugaku after forcing him to reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan, then accused him of leading the Uchiha toward destruction. Ronglin urged Fugaku to step down and said Itachi should follow Shisui, leaving Fugaku furious and shaken.

• Ronglin revealed that he had known Fugaku’s Mangekyo had awakened and warned him that overuse could make him go blind.
• Ronglin said Fugaku’s Mangekyo had evolved after the First Elder’s death, provoking Fugaku to demand what he meant.
• Ronglin accused Fugaku of failing to secure influence or recognition for the Uchiha and warned that his leadership could lead to the clan’s destruction.
• Ronglin told Fugaku to step down and suggested that Itachi follow Shisui.
• Ronglin left after promising that a new leader could make the Uchiha powerful, while Fugaku cursed him.

Ronglin confronted Uchiha Fugaku and told him the Uchiha needed a new clan leader, then left the argument. The next day, Ronglin alone represented Konoha in renewed negotiations with Kirigakure.

• Ronglin invited Uchiha Izumi Nishi for a drink and said Uchiha Fugaku should step down as clan leader.
• Uchiha Mikoto asked Uchiha Izumi Nishi to keep the confrontation from becoming public, though he worried the news would spread.
• Ronglin entered the conference room alone after the Third Hokage gave him full authority over the negotiations.
• Kirigakure urged Konoha to make concessions and proposed that the villages form an alliance.

Ronglin negotiated with Yagura and Kirigakure’s delegation over war compensation and the release of their people, rejecting their appeals to soften Konoha’s terms. He proposed an economic alliance as an additional condition, leaving the delegation surprised.

• Ronglin asked who had started the war and who had lost, and Yagura admitted Kirigakure had both launched the war and lost it.
• Ronglin argued that Kirigakure had to pay compensation and cover the costs of housing more than two thousand prisoners in Konoha.
• Yagura asked whether Konoha’s conditions could be softened, but Ronglin said they could not.
• Ronglin offered to add an economic alliance as an extra term, surprising the Kirigakure delegation.

Ronglin offered Kirigakure economic cooperation with Konoha in exchange for ending the war and negotiating conditions for the Three-Tails. Yagura and his delegation left to discuss the proposal, and Ronglin reported the talks’ progress to the Third Hokage.

• Ronglin argued that economic cooperation with Konoha could help Kirigakure develop and strengthen its village.
• Yagura considered the benefits but asked to discuss the proposal with his delegation before deciding.
• Ronglin demanded an answer the next day and warned that, without an agreement over the Three-Tails, Konoha would use it as a fishing tool to feed its front-line warriors.
• Yagura told the delegation to wait until they had returned to Kirigakure before discussing the offer.
• Ronglin went to the Hokage's Office and reported the negotiation’s progress to the Third Hokage.

Ronglin discussed Kirigakure’s likely acceptance of Konoha’s terms and assessed Konoha’s war prospects with the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage described Konoha’s severe logistical strain, while Ronglin argued that the village could act against the Land of Artisans only after the war.

• Ronglin estimated an eighty percent chance that Kirigakure would accept Konoha’s terms because an agreement would benefit both sides.
• The Third Hokage asked Ronglin about the coming war with Sunagakure and Iwagakure, and Ronglin predicted Konoha would win if its logistics held.
• The Third Hokage explained that Konoha faced supply shortages and rising prices, despite funding from the Daimyo that came with the condition that Konoha win.
• Ronglin condemned the Land of Artisans for raising prices, but acknowledged that Konoha could not attack it during the war.
• The Third Hokage agreed that Konoha had to endure for now, and Ronglin said the village could consider action after the war ended.

Ronglin proposed crippling the Land of Artisans by cutting off its supply routes, while the Third Hokage focused on sending the Uchiha and Hyuga to the front lines. Back home, Uchiha Diqin confronted Ronglin over his trade of a tailed beast for Mei Terumi.

• Ronglin explained that Konoha could pressure the Land of Artisans by blocking the materials it purchased from outside.
• The Third Hokage said he planned to send the Uchiha and Hyuga to support the front lines.
• The Third Hokage asked Ronglin to focus on matters concerning Kirigakure and privately worried about choosing the Fourth Hokage and removing Uchiha Fugaku.
• Uchiha Diqin confronted Ronglin about trading a tailed beast for Mei Terumi, and Ronglin said Mei was young, capable, and worth training.

Ronglin explained to Uchiha Diqin that he had challenged Uchiha Fugaku to step down because he intended to become clan head. He asked her to help spread the news through Shisui, leaving her uneasy about his methods but reminded that she now depended on him.

• Ronglin told Uchiha Diqin that he believed trading the Three-Tails for Mei Terumi was worthwhile, despite others calling him reckless.
• Ronglin admitted that he had argued with Uchiha Fugaku and told him to step down as clan head.
• Ronglin instructed Uchiha Diqin to tell Shisui about the confrontation and make the news spread as if by accident.
• Ronglin said he believed he could lead the Uchiha to prosperity better than Uchiha Fugaku could.
• Ronglin reminded Uchiha Diqin that she belonged to him now, and she reconsidered whose interests she should support.

Uchiha Diqin recruited Shisui to spread Ronglin’s intention to challenge Uchiha Fugaku for the clan leadership, stirring debate throughout the Uchiha Clan. The clan split between those who called Ronglin ungrateful and those who believed the leadership should go to the most capable person.

• Uchiha Diqin left Ronglin’s courtyard to find Shisui and ask him to spread the news of Ronglin’s ambition.
• Shisui agreed to carry out Uchiha Diqin’s task, then left while thinking fondly about Shuirong.
• Shisui deliberately let news spread that Uchiha Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo and that Ronglin wanted him to step down.
• The Uchiha Clan erupted in uproar, with the Second Elder and many others condemning Ronglin as ungrateful.
• Other Uchiha members argued that Ronglin had earned his standing independently and that the clan leadership should go to whoever was most capable.

Konoha debated Ronglin’s demand that Uchiha Fugaku step down, while Ronglin used the rumors to test Fugaku’s priorities. At the battlefield negotiations, Kirigakure accepted Konoha’s terms, and Ronglin pressed Yagura to agree to his condition concerning the Three-Tails.

• Hyuga Hiashi condemned Ronglin’s ambition and regretted that Ronglin had grown too powerful to eliminate.
• Uchiha Fugaku smashed things at home after hearing the rumors, while Uchiha Mikoto comforted the crying Itachi.
• Ronglin laughed at Fugaku’s silence and said the rumors made it seem as if Fugaku tacitly admitted they were true.
• Kirigakure agreed to Konoha’s demands, and Yagura ordered a message sent to bring the exchange items.
• Yagura assured his subordinate that Konoha would not set a trap, and Ronglin warned that the Three-Tails would stay behind unless Yagura accepted his condition.

Ronglin demanded Mei Terumi, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Samehada in exchange for the Three-Tails, and Yagura agreed. The chapter ended with Yagura promising to send the people and blade along with the supplies.

• Ronglin told Yagura he wanted Kisame Hoshigaki and Samehada in addition to Mei Terumi.
• Yagura considered the cost of surrendering Samehada and worried about how it would affect his subordinates.
• Ronglin warned that he would keep everyone captive until the requested people and items arrived, and threatened to retrieve Samehada himself if it went missing.
• Yagura agreed to the exchange and said the people and Samehada would arrive with the supplies.
• Yagura added that the Hozuki clan youngster had died of illness.

Ronglin reflected on Hozuki Mangetsu’s death and let Kirigakure’s delegation leave after agreeing to an exchange for the Three-Tails. As Konoha sent reinforcements to the front lines, Ronglin kept Shisui behind to train.

• Ronglin learned that Hozuki Mangetsu had died from illness and left the meeting room after concluding negotiations with Yagura.
• Yagura rejected his delegation’s complaints, explaining that they had no better way to trade for the Three-Tails with Ronglin, and led them away to rest while secretly gathering intelligence.
• Three days after the negotiations, Konoha ordered the Uchiha to reinforce the war against Iwagakure in the Land of Grass and the Hyuga to support Jiraiya, White Fang, and others in the Land of Rivers.
• The Shimura, Sarutobi, and other families also mobilized more troops to help end the war.
• Shisui eagerly asked Ronglin if they were heading to the front lines, but Ronglin told him to keep training and finish researching his Crow Ninjutsu.

Ronglin kept Shisui away from the battlefield and warned him about Kisame Hoshigaki, while Uchiha Fugaku led the clan to war without notifying Ronglin. As Ronglin continued his quiet routine and secretly watched Yagura and the others, Rin and Obito passed the Chunin exam.

• Ronglin refused to let Shisui go to the front lines unless he passed the Special Jonin exam, and warned him that Kisame Hoshigaki would be a dangerous rival.
• Ronglin sent Shisui and Uchiha Diqin to train together, despite Shisui's reluctance.
• Uchiha Fugaku led the Uchiha clan and other major clans toward the battlefield without notifying Ronglin.
• Ronglin stayed home, avoided serving under Danzo, and secretly kept watch on Yagura and the others.
• Rin and Obito passed the Chunin exam and joined Konoha's Chunin ranks.

As Minato Squad joined the war against Iwagakure, Minato began building a reputation as the Golden Flash while Ronglin watched events from Konoha. After Ōnoki outmaneuvered Danzo, the Uchiha suffered devastating losses, leaving Uchiha Fugaku furious and facing blame from his clan.

• Minato Squad went to the Land of Grass to fight Iwagakure, and Minato sought the battle achievements needed to contend for Fourth Hokage.
• Ronglin reviewed intelligence in Konoha and learned that Ōnoki had set up Danzo, causing heavy losses for Konoha and several hundred casualties among the Uchiha.
• Ronglin told Uchiha Diqin that her clan had suffered the worst losses and that the other clans had fared better.
• Uchiha Fugaku cursed Danzo in his tent and faced blame as clan head for the Uchiha's losses.
• Some Uchiha clan members wished Ronglin had been there to protect them, and others noted that Fugaku had not informed Ronglin before the campaign.

Uchiha Fugaku learned that the Uchiha blamed him for failing to notify Uchiha Ronglin before the battle. Furious and wounded by Ronglin’s earlier criticism, he faced the prospect that Ronglin would strike before he could make any plans.

• Uchiha Fugaku asked Uchiha Izumi Nishi about the clan’s condition after the battle.
• Uchiha Izumi Nishi reported that the clansmen were demoralized and blamed Uchiha Fugaku for not notifying Uchiha Ronglin.
• Uchiha Fugaku smashed the table in his tent and angrily protested the clansmen’s accusations.
• Uchiha Fugaku worried that his Mangekyo could not have saved everyone and that using it might make him go blind.
• Uchiha Fugaku wondered how Uchiha Ronglin had gained an Eternal Mangekyo and realized Ronglin had acted before he could begin making plans.

Uchiha Fugaku’s angry response to rumors about Uchiha Ronglin and his failure to confront Danzo deepened dissatisfaction within the Uchiha clan. Meanwhile, the Hyuga Clan and Tsunade helped Konoha steadily pressure Sunagakure, and the fighting continued.

• Uchiha Izumi Nishi reported news that enraged Uchiha Fugaku, and his reaction spread through the camp.
• Uchiha Fugaku’s outburst over the rumors increased the clan members’ doubts about his leadership.
• At later meetings, Uchiha Fugaku did not demand an explanation from Danzo, further disheartening the Uchiha clansmen.
• The Hyuga Clan handled reconnaissance while Tsunade oversaw logistics, helping Konoha advance steadily against Sunagakure.
• Tsunade’s presence in the rear weakened the poison used by Sunagakure’s Puppet Unit.
• Sunagakure continued resisting Konoha as the frontline battles raged on.