Chapter Summaries

Minato Namikaze outwardly accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s decision to punish Danzo, while privately losing faith in the Hokage and worrying that Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan would draw him into the village’s political schemes. The chapter ended with Minato realizing that Obito could no longer avoid being treated as a strategic threat.

• Minato Namikaze privately questioned the Jonin Council’s authority after Hiruzen Sarutobi overrode its vote.
• Minato Namikaze praised Hiruzen Sarutobi’s decision to deal with Danzo while hiding his distrust and relief that Kushina and Rin Nohara were safe.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed the damage to civilians, promised compensation, and asked Minato Namikaze whether Obito had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Minato Namikaze told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Obito was kind-hearted and said he would ask him about the Mangekyō Sharingan later.
• Minato Namikaze realized that Danzo and the Anbu had likely witnessed Obito use his Mangekyō Sharingan and feared the village would target Obito for its power.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to transfer Obito and Kakashi into the Anbu, hoping to bring talented shinobi closer under his control. Minato refused and left the matter for the future, while Hiruzen ended the meeting by lamenting his exhaustion and age.

• Hiruzen praised Obito's kindness and Uchiha heritage, then proposed transferring Obito and Kakashi into the Anbu for training.
• Hiruzen hoped to draw Obito away from Minato and use Kakashi's transfer to win over Sakumo Hatake's former supporters.
• Minato declined, saying his young disciples should avoid the Anbu's dangerous missions until they were older.
• Minato remained outwardly respectful while planning to wait until he became Hokage before changing the village and gathering trusted allies.
• Hiruzen accepted that they could discuss the transfer later, then complained that negotiations, the Uchiha Clan, and Danzo had worn him out.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi declined to press Minato Namikaze about Obito, he focused on securing Minato’s succession and returned to handle Shisui’s situation. Minato went home and reassured his family that Danzo had been stripped of his Elder and Root positions, but Kushina and the others were stunned that their actions would bring no further consequences.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Minato Namikaze’s refusal, reminded him of his support, and left to deal with Shisui’s unfinished situation.
• Minato Namikaze returned home, where Kushina Uzumaki, Rin Nohara, Obito, and Kakashi welcomed him and offered their support.
• Minato Namikaze praised Obito and Kakashi for protecting Rin and thanked Kushina for intervening.
• Minato Namikaze told everyone that Danzo would lose his Elder and Root positions but keep his Jonin rank, and said the matter was settled.
• Kushina Uzumaki and the others fell silent, shocked that they would face no further consequences despite the destruction caused.

Minato Namikaze explained that Hiruzen Sarutobi had spared Kushina because Minato was certain to become the Fourth Hokage, revealing that village rules did not restrain the powerful. Kushina and Minato’s students were left stunned by his bitter assessment.

• Kushina Uzumaki asked Minato Namikaze why the Hokage had not punished her despite the damage she caused.
• Minato told Kushina, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin to keep his explanation confidential.
• Minato said Hiruzen Sarutobi had let Kushina off because Minato was guaranteed to become the Fourth Hokage and Hiruzen wanted to repair their rift.
• Minato explained that village rules restrained the powerless but had little effect on powerful ninja clans and village leaders.
• Kushina and the others fell silent, and Kushina asked Minato why he had said such a bitter thing.

Minato Namikaze warned Kakashi, Obito, and Rin about the village’s political schemes and urged them not to trust others too easily. Kakashi and Obito promised to follow Minato, but Rin blamed herself for the turmoil and offered to be handed over.

• Minato Namikaze explained that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to recruit Obito and Kakashi into the Anbu and might try to manipulate them.
• Minato warned the children that village leaders and even friends could act in their clans’ interests rather than out of loyalty.
• Kakashi told Minato he would listen to him on important matters, and Obito agreed.
• Rin Nohara said the trouble had happened because of her and asked Minato to hand her over.

Kushina, Minato, Obito, and Kakashi reassured Rin Nohara and persuaded her to keep going, while Minato planned to prepare for changing Konoha. The story then shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s estate, where Nara Shikaku came to visit.

• Kushina, Obito, Kakashi, and Minato reassured Rin that she was family and urged her not to give up.
• Minato promised to arrange for Rin to enter Konoha Hospital and for Kakashi and Obito to join the Anbu.
• Rin agreed to work hard with Minato to help change Konoha, and Kushina took responsibility for training the children.
• Minato planned to contact Zhao Nuo and cultivate loyal allies ahead of his intended changes to the village.
• The story shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s estate, where he told Arashi that he had worked hard.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Arashi Sarutobi to monitor and indoctrinate the Uchiha who had settled near the Forest of Death, accepting a two-hundred-million payment as the price of a Mangekyo's allegiance. After Arashi reported that Shikaku Nara had returned, Hiruzen summoned him, and Shikaku entered his room.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi privately planned to groom his son Shin'nosuke Sarutobi for power while keeping Arashi Sarutobi as a subordinate steward.
• Arashi Sarutobi reported that the Uchiha had been housed near the Forest of Death and questioned the two-hundred-million appropriation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Arashi to secretly monitor the Uchiha and continue efforts to secure their loyalty to the Sarutobi Clan.
• Arashi Sarutobi announced that Shikaku Nara had arrived, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered him brought in.
• Shikaku Nara entered Hiruzen Sarutobi's room, dusty and travel-worn, and bowed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Shikaku Nara for advice on Uchiha Shisui and the recent conflicts involving Minato Namikaze. Shikaku proposed persuading Rin Nohara to sacrifice herself for the village, while he remained uncertain how to handle the Uchiha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed Shikaku Nara and explained the village's recent troubles, asking how to handle Uchiha Shisui.
• Shikaku Nara reasoned that Minato Namikaze would not abandon Rin Nohara, but Rin's self-sacrifice might resolve the dispute.
• Shikaku advised Hiruzen to speak privately with Rin, invoke the Will of Fire, and persuade her to choose the village's cause herself.
• Hiruzen praised Shikaku's plan and felt reassured that Minato would have little grounds to protest.
• Hiruzen asked Shikaku for advice about the Uchiha, and Shikaku said he needed time because the clan now had clever people of its own.

Shikaku Nara suspected that Shisui’s sudden rebellion against Uchiha Jin was part of a scheme and questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi to learn what had happened. Hiruzen revealed that Shisui had shown him his Mangekyo and that he had agreed to Shisui’s request while flustered, leaving both men wary that they had been deceived.

• Shikaku Nara questioned whether mild-mannered Shisui could have organized Uchiha Jin’s opponents and fought him so abruptly, given their recent good relations.
• Shikaku Nara told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the many coincidences surrounding the Uchiha suggested something was wrong and asked for more information.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi invited Shikaku Nara to ask questions, then explained that Shisui had revealed his Mangekyo before Hiruzen could speak.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted that seeing Shisui’s Mangekyo had flustered him into agreeing to something, though he had assumed Shisui could not easily build a faction against Uchiha Jin.

Hiruzen Sarutobi reconsidered the Uchiha conflict and suspected that Uchiha Jin and Shisui had staged their battle to deceive him. Shikaku Nara pointed out how the events benefited Jin, leaving Hiruzen to question what the Uchiha were really trying to achieve.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted that the news about the Mangekyo had made him agree too quickly to the Uchiha conflict.
• Shikaku Nara questioned how Shisui could have built a faction so quickly and why Uchiha Jin had chosen violence despite having other options.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that Shisui and Jin might have been allies all along and that he had handed them 200 Million Ryo.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned why the Uchiha would stage such a bloody conflict just to obtain money, especially after Uchiha Setsuna's death.
• Shikaku Nara reassured Hiruzen Sarutobi and said that Uchiha Jin had gained several benefits from the conflict.

Shikaku Nara deduced that Uchiha Jin had used Shisui’s defection to purge his clan’s opponents and deceive Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen, furious over the 200 Million Ryo he had given them, wanted revenge, but Shikaku warned that retaliation would drive other Ninja Clans toward the Uchiha.

• Shikaku Nara explained that Uchiha Jin had unified the Uchiha by eliminating internal opponents and used Shisui to extract money and resources from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he might have been deceived, became enraged, and vowed to destroy Uchiha Jin.
• Hiruzen told Shikaku Nara about the 200 Million Ryo and other benefits he had promised Shisui, then asked if he could recover the money and expose the Uchiha.
• Shikaku Nara urged Hiruzen not to retaliate, warning that without convincing evidence the other Ninja Clans would lose trust in him and might side with the Uchiha.
• Shikaku advised Hiruzen to treat Shisui and the other Uchiha well so the other Ninja Clans would see the Hokage as a trustworthy ally.

Hiruzen Sarutobi swallowed his anger and accepted the Uchiha’s 200 Million Ryo demand, believing he still held the advantage as Hokage. Shikaku Nara grew alarmed when he learned that Uchiha Obito had awakened the Mangekyo too.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded himself not to drive Shisui and the Uchiha away, fearing Uchiha Jin would win over more clans.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the 200 Million Ryo loss and vowed to deal with the Uchiha after the war.
• Shikaku Nara asked Hiruzen Sarutobi why he had brought up Obito.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Obito had awakened the Mangekyo and said he expected Obito and Minato to support the Hokage faction.
• Shikaku Nara was stunned by the Uchiha’s sudden succession of Mangekyo awakenings and wondered whether their clan sensed the threat of extermination.

Shikaku Nara sensed danger in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s explanation but left without challenging him. Hiruzen, convinced the Uchiha threat had reached his own household through Shisui, summoned his trusted advisers for an urgent meeting.

• Shikaku Nara recalled seeing Minato Namikaze leave the Frontline Camp with Jin and sensed that something was wrong.
• Shikaku Nara accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s explanation, said he could rest easy, and returned to rest.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi let Shikaku Nara leave, deciding to discuss countermeasures only with his three old friends.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned an Anbu and ordered him to bring Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo to an immediate meeting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi worried that Uchiha Shisui, whom he considered an enemy spy, lived next door to his home.

Shikaku Nara told Nara Koji that Uchiha Jin’s growing power and political connections could give the Uchiha a chance to take power, and that the Nara Clan needed to prepare for the changing situation. Koji was stunned by Shikaku’s account of Jin’s allies and Minato Namikaze’s secret connection, and concluded that Hiruzen Sarutobi would be finished if it were true.

• Shikaku left the Sarutobi compound, judged the Uchiha a potential threat, and kept Minato’s secret contact with Jin from Hiruzen to protect the Nara Clan’s options.
• Shikaku returned home, reassured Yoshino, and went to meet Nara Koji in the tea room.
• Shikaku told Koji that the Nara Clan’s future focus might need to shift toward him because the situation around Jin had changed.
• Shikaku shared what he knew and suspected about Shisui’s staged defection, Obito’s Mangekyo, and Minato’s connection to Jin.
• Koji questioned whether Minato could really be involved and said Hiruzen would be finished if Shikaku’s account was true.

Nara Koji reflected on the Nara Clan’s hidden strategy of appearing divided while keeping a powerful backup plan in reserve. Shikaku Nara warned that Uchiha Jin’s growing strength and the Hokage faction’s fractures could soon reshape Konoha’s alliances.

• Nara Koji realized that Nara Kazama had sincerely plotted against Shikaku Nara because he did not know the Nara Clan’s internal power struggles were staged.
• Nara Koji recognized that Uchiha Jin had approved sending him into the Uchiha Clan as a trusted strategist.
• Shikaku Nara praised Uchiha Jin’s schemes and worried that Jin, Shisui, and Obito gave the Uchiha Clan three Mangekyo users, with more hidden methods likely.
• Shikaku Nara noted that the Aburame and Inuzuka Clans supported the Uchiha, and other small and mid-sized clans might soon follow.
• Shikaku Nara concluded that Hiruzen Sarutobi’s faction was splitting, as Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō had clashed and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had reason to become suspicious.

Nara Koji warned Shikaku Nara that the Sarutobi faction was weakening and the Nara clan would need to plan around the Uchiha. He revealed that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo and explained that Hiruzen Sarutobi’s real power rested on Tobirama Senju’s legacy and ongoing Hashirama Cells experiments.

• Nara Koji predicted that tensions among Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Minato Namikaze, and their allies would force the Ino-Shika-Cho clans to follow the Uchiha Clan’s lead.
• Shikaku Nara said the Uchiha had contingencies and revealed that Fugaku had casually told him he had awakened the Mangekyo long ago.
• Shikaku was stunned by the revelation and questioned why Uchiha Jin would scheme instead of using the Uchiha’s overwhelming strength.
• Nara Koji argued that Hiruzen Sarutobi’s foundation was Tobirama Senju’s legacy, including powerful techniques and village research.
• Nara Koji said Orochimaru’s secret Hashirama Cells experiments had produced one successful test subject using a village shinobi or civilian.

Shikaku Nara and Nara Koji agreed to compete by planning for opposing sides in the struggle between Uchiha Jin and Hiruzen Sarutobi. Koji planned to take half of several clans to the Uchiha when Kazama returned, while the chapter ended at Root’s hidden headquarters outside Konoha.

• Shikaku Nara warned Koji that Hiruzen Sarutobi had hidden trump cards and that the Uchiha should avoid a reckless confrontation.
• Shikaku asked Koji to plan for the Uchiha while he continued to plan for Hiruzen Sarutobi, proposing a contest between them.
• Nara Koji agreed and said the Nara Clan should split when Kazama returned to the village to avoid suspicion.
• Koji planned to take half of the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans to join the Uchiha as a grand gift.
• Shikaku and Koji raised their cups and agreed to rely on their own methods.
• The scene shifted to a concealed entrance to Root’s true headquarters near the Forest of Death outside Konoha.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura visited Danzo to propose joining forces against Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom they feared would turn on them after dealing with the Uchiha and Hyuga. Danzo agreed that Hiruzen had marginalized them but demanded a weighty token of allegiance before accepting their alliance.

• Danzo greeted Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura with disdain when they arrived at Root's office.
• Utatane Koharu said she and Mitokado Homura believed Hiruzen Sarutobi had gone too far and asked Danzo to join forces with them.
• Mitokado Homura agreed that Hiruzen would target them after eliminating the Uchiha and Hyuga, so they needed to strike first and teach him a lesson.
• Danzo pointed out that Hiruzen held control over Leaf Village's military and ninja training while the three elders had been left with limited authority.
• Danzo said he would consider their alliance only if they provided a sufficiently weighty token of allegiance.

Danzo demanded concrete pledges before joining Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu in a plot against Hiruzen Sarutobi. They agreed to target Sarutobi Shin'nosuke that night, leaving their three factions preparing to act.

• Danzo refused to discuss an alliance until Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu offered tangible pledges.
• Utatane Koharu pledged to track Shin'nosuke's movements and report them to Root.
• Mitokado Homura offered to contact Sarutobi Arashi and help set a trap for Shin'nosuke.
• Danzo agreed to kill Shin'nosuke personally and ordered the others to prepare for an attack that night.
• The three sides finished their meeting and began mobilizing their forces.

Mitokado Homura, Root, and the Utatane Clan formed an alliance with Arashi Sarutobi to eliminate Shin'nosuke Sarutobi. Shin'nosuke followed Arashi’s secret summons to Hokage Rock, where Danzo revealed the betrayal and ordered Root to attack.

• Mitokado Homura approached Arashi Sarutobi, and Arashi joined the alliance against Shin'nosuke Sarutobi.
• Arashi secretly summoned Shin'nosuke to Hokage Rock using the Sarutobi Clan’s special communication method.
• Shin'nosuke left his Anbu duties and went to Hokage Rock, believing Arashi needed his help.
• Danzo told Shin'nosuke that Arashi hated him and had allied against him.
• Danzo mocked Shin'nosuke and ordered the Root elites to attack.