Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Jin reflected on his growing attachments and decided he would eventually save Shisui. At the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen's Grandson assigned the fifth-year students to squads bound for the battlefield, placing Jin with Nara Kazama and Ishikawa Itsuki.

• Uchiha Jin watched Shisui leave and resolved that saving him would not be too difficult.
• Uchiha Jin attended the noisy fifth-year classroom, where the students anticipated being sent to the battlefield.
• Hiruzen's Grandson entered the classroom and announced the squad assignments.
• Hiruzen's Grandson assigned Uchiha Jin to Squad Seven with Nara Kazama and Ishikawa Itsuki.
• Uchiha Jin examined Nara Kazama and noted that the Nara Clan member was lazy and seemed weak.

Uchiha Jin assessed his new teammates, Nara Kazama and Ishikawa Itsuki, before Team Ten’s instructor, Kudo Shin, introduced himself and his Earth Style technique. The team members shared their abilities, and Ishikawa Itsuki demanded the captaincy while Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama declined to object.

• Uchiha Jin suspected the Nara Clan’s motives after learning that Nara Kazama had been assigned to his team, and judged Ishikawa Itsuki to be an arrogant civilian ninja with limited skills.
• After Hiruzen’s Grandson finished reading the team list, nine Chunin called out Teams One through Nine, leaving teams from Ten onward without instructors.
• Kudo Shin brought his team to a grove and introduced himself as a defensive specialist who knew Earth Style: Earth Wall.
• Ishikawa Itsuki introduced himself, boasted about his class ranking, and demanded to be team captain.
• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama introduced themselves and said they had no objection to the captaincy, while Kudo Shin looked down on Ishikawa Itsuki’s arrogance.

Kudo Shin’s squad gathered at Leaf Village’s gates to depart for the Mist Battlefield, while Ishikawa Itsuki boastfully claimed he would protect them. Uchiha Shisui pulled Uchiha Jin aside and gave him protective armor, leaving Jin conflicted by his older brother’s care.

• Kudo Shin explained that the squad would temporarily garrison the former Land of Whirlpools site under Miyamoto Yukie and reminded everyone to obey orders.
• Ishikawa Itsuki declared that he would protect the squad, prompting Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama to decide to keep their distance from him.
• Uchiha Shisui arrived at the village gates and asked to speak privately with Uchiha Jin.
• Shisui gave Jin a fishnet undershirt containing meteorite iron and refined iron, urging him to wear it for protection on his first battlefield deployment.
• Jin accepted Shisui’s concern but felt conflicted, knowing how troubled the Uchiha Clan was.

Shisui warned Uchiha Jin that his squad was being sent to buy time against Mist Village and promised to try to transfer him later. Jin returned to his squad in Pendant Inner Armor, leaving Shisui shaken by his confession that he had killed Uchiha Yoshio and the others.

• Shisui told Uchiha Jin that Mist Village had declared war and that his unit's mission was to delay the enemy while Leaf Village mobilized.
• Shisui promised to try to transfer Jin to his squad if Jin survived for half a month.
• Jin told Shisui in confidence that he had killed Uchiha Yoshio and the others.
• Shisui reeled at Jin's revelation and decided to speak with him before choosing whether to report it.
• Jin returned to his squad wearing Pendant Inner Armor, and his comrades admired the armor and questioned his relationship with Shisui.

Team 7 set out to escort supplies to the front line while Ishikawa Itsuki grew resentful of Uchiha Jin and the others. As the convoy traveled through the Land of Fire, Jin kept thinking about his earlier conversation with Shisui and what it had revealed.

• A Chunin assigned Team 7 a mission to escort supplies to the front line, and Kudo Shin led the team out.
• Ishikawa Itsuki resented the team, especially Uchiha Jin, after feeling that his academy achievements earned him no respect.
• Team 7 collected supplies for three carriages and an escort team of eight commoners from the depot.
• The convoy traveled through the Land of Fire, with the commoners working and the ninjas relaxing atop the carts.
• Uchiha Jin sat on the last carriage and reflected on his conversation with Shisui, which had also been a test of Shisui.

Uchiha Jin decided that testing Shisui’s loyalty could help him change Shisui’s allegiance and save him from his future fate. At the Land of Fire border, Mist Village squads ambushed the transport convoy, and Ishikawa Itsuki overruled the defensive plan to launch an attack.

• Uchiha Jin weighed the risks of testing Shisui and concluded that Shisui could become a valuable ally against Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
• Three days later, two Mist Village squads ambushed the transport squad at the Land of Fire border using the Hidden Mist Technique.
• Kudo Shin raised three Earth Walls to shield the convoy, exhausted his Chakra, and sat down to recover for ten minutes.
• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama agreed to stay defensive while the Mist Village ninja remained hidden.
• Ishikawa Itsuki insulted Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama, declared himself acting captain, and ordered the convoy to attack.

Ishikawa Itsuki rushed into the mist and was attacked, forcing Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama to go after him. Jin and Kazama repelled the Mist ninja and protected the supplies, while the surviving attackers fled.

• Ishikawa Itsuki charged into the mist, and Nara Kazama convinced Uchiha Jin they had to save him to prevent their team’s actions from being reported.
• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama combined Fire and Wind Release to clear the Hidden Mist Technique and kill the three Mist ninja attacking Itsuki.
• Uchiha Jin fought the Mist ninja while Nara Kazama went to protect the supplies.
• Uchiha Jin killed a Mist ninja, and Nara Kazama killed another as the remaining attackers fled after realizing their intelligence was wrong.
• Nara Kazama asked Uchiha Jin whether they should pursue the fleeing ninja, and Jin recognized that Kazama was hiding considerable strength while deferring to him.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama agreed to conceal their strength and split the valuable supplies after the ambush, while preparing a cover story for their recovering captain. They left the kunai carriage to report and planned to blame the missing supplies and Ishikawa Itsuki’s injuries on Mist Village.

• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama treated the unconscious Ishikawa Itsuki with herbs and a Ration pill, then left his survival to chance.
• Nara Kazama proposed splitting the three supply carriages, hiding the Mist ninja corpses, and claiming Mist Village had taken two carriages.
• Uchiha Jin agreed to the plan, and the two separated to collect the corpses and valuable supplies.
• Nara Kazama reported that he had taken the medicinal herbs and Explosive tags, worth around 30 million Ryo, and left the kunai carriage untouched.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama divided the spoils, then Nara Kazama blamed Ishikawa Itsuki for the lost supplies when explaining the mission to Kudo Shin. Kudo believed him and planned to report Ishikawa to Lord Miyamoto at the Frontline Camp.

• Uchiha Jin proposed splitting the Explosive tags evenly and having Nara Kazama sell the medicinal herbs, with the money divided after the war.
• Nara Kazama put half the Explosive tags in a scroll and handed it to Uchiha Jin.
• After Kudo Shin woke, Nara Kazama told him that Ishikawa Itsuki had caused the supply losses by ignoring their advice and rushing into battle.
• Kudo Shin angrily agreed that Ishikawa was at fault and said he would report him to Lord Miyamoto at the Frontline Camp.
• Uchiha Jin realized Nara Kazama's account had made the two of them look like heroes while shifting blame for the lost supplies onto Ishikawa.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama reached the Frontline Camp after framing the injured Ishikawa Itsuki for their missing supplies. Kazama explained why the Uchiha had never joined the battlefield’s widespread embezzlement, leaving Jin to conclude that their pride and principles had made them enemies of the other clans.

• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama brought Ishikawa Itsuki to the Medical Camp, then returned to their tent at the Frontline Camp.
• Uchiha Jin worried that they would be punished for losing two carts of supplies, but Nara Kazama assured him that the blame would fall on Ishikawa Itsuki.
• Nara Kazama told Uchiha Jin that prominent clans routinely stole supplies and concealed the theft as battle losses.
• Uchiha Jin realized that the Uchiha had stayed out of the corruption because they disdained such acts and would expose them.
• Uchiha Jin concluded that the Uchiha’s pride explained why they could not become Hokage and why other clans targeted them.

Nara Kazama worried that Uchiha Jin had understood the political implications of his remarks, while Jin promised to keep quiet. At the frontline command tent, Miyamoto Yukie blamed Ishikawa Itsuki for the failed mission and ordered him handed over to the Anbu, then let Kudo Shin’s squad rest.

• Nara Kazama told Uchiha Jin not to reveal his conclusions, and Jin promised he would say nothing.
• Kudo Shin reported to Miyamoto Yukie that Ishikawa Itsuki had disobeyed orders during an encounter with two elite Mist Village squads, leaving the team with only one cart of supplies.
• Miyamoto Yukie ordered Ishikawa Itsuki transferred to the Anbu and ruled that Kudo Shin’s mission would earn neither reward nor punishment.
• Kudo Shin handed the unconscious Ishikawa Itsuki to an Anbu ninja at the Medical Camp.
• Kudo Shin returned to his squad’s tent and told his teammates to rest while they awaited their next mission.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama probed each other about their hidden strengths and choices, but Jin reminded Kazama that they did not need to reveal their secrets. Kazama then explained that he had feigned mediocrity to survive after his talented older brothers died, leaving his own reasons for joining Class B clear.

• Nara Kazama questioned why Uchiha Jin spent his days relaxing instead of training, despite Jin's demonstrated strength.
• Uchiha Jin asked why Kazama had concealed his ability and joined a Class B squad instead of following the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition.
• When Kazama fell silent, Jin stopped pressing him and returned to basking in the sun.
• As they prepared to leave at dusk, Kazama revealed that his father, Nara Shikanaru, had died after losing a bid for clan leadership.
• Kazama said his father had urged his sons to avoid becoming geniuses, but his two older brothers ignored the advice and died, while Kazama survived by acting mediocre and giving up his place in Ino-Shika-Cho.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama traveled back toward the Frontline camp after Kazama revealed that Shikaku Nara had taken an interest in Jin. That night, Ishikawa Itsuki was assigned back to their squad for a new mission, leaving the tense team to prepare for a dawn departure.

• Uchiha Jin recognized that Nara Kazama had figured out his disguise and concealed his brief killing intent toward the Nara Clan.
• Nara Kazama explained that Shikaku Nara had sent him to assess Jin because of the three dead Uchiha, and that the clan might secretly invest in Jin.
• Uchiha Jin and Nara Kazama continued toward the Frontline camp, and Jin considered recruiting Kazama as an ally.
• An Anbu messenger delivered a mission scroll to Kudo Shin and announced that Ishikawa Itsuki would return to the squad after being cleared of responsibility for the mission failure.
• Kudo Shin warned Ishikawa Itsuki not to cause trouble on the next mission, while Jin and Kazama went to rest.
• Ishikawa Itsuki blamed Jin and Kazama for his failure and vowed to get revenge.

Uchiha Jin’s squad reached a coastal watch post but saw no sign of Mist Village for six days, leaving Jin uneasy. After Nara Kazama spotted the forest filling with mist during the night, the squad realized a possible Hidden Mist Technique attack was underway.

• Kudo Shin led Uchiha Jin, Nara Kazama, and Ishikawa Itsuki to the twenty-seventh guard post to watch for Mist Village and signal headquarters if enemies appeared.
• Kudo Shin split the squad into day and night watch groups, pairing himself with Jin and Kazama with Itsuki.
• After six uneventful days, Jin warned Kazama that he sensed a battle was approaching and urged him to be careful.
• Late at night, Kazama woke Jin and Kudo Shin after noticing thick mist engulfing the forest and suspecting the Hidden Mist Technique.

Nara Kazama, Uchiha Jin, and Kudo Shin investigated an unnatural fog and discovered a Mist Village squad approaching. They captured one shinobi for questioning, but he refused to reveal the Mist Village’s plans.

• Nara Kazama and Uchiha Jin persuaded Kudo Shin to investigate the fog, while Ishikawa Itsuki refused to join them.
• Nara Kazama detected a Mist Village squad in the forest and used the Shadow Binding Technique to restrain one shinobi.
• Uchiha Jin killed two Mist shinobi with Kunai before they could locate the attackers.
• Nara Kazama broke the captive’s limbs and questioned him about the Mist Village’s numbers, route, and plan.
• The captive refused to talk, and Nara Kazama admitted he could not extract memories like someone from the Yamanaka Clan.

After learning that four thousand Mist ninjas were hidden in the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Jin took charge of the squad’s response. The chapter left the team debating whether to fire a signal flare and reveal their position.

• Nara Kazama used a clan secret technique to question a captured Mist ninja while Uchiha Jin and Kudo Shin waited away from them.
• Kazama returned and reported that four thousand Mist ninjas had been hiding in the Land of Whirlpools for half a month.
• Kazama asked Jin for a plan, and Kudo Shin agreed to follow Jin’s orders.
• Jin ordered Kudo to fire a signal flare so the Frontline Camp could prepare and engage more of the Mist forces.
• Kudo hesitated, fearing the flare would expose their position, so Jin explained that alerting the camp would improve their chances of survival.

Uchiha Jin persuaded Team 7 to flee and use guerrilla tactics after launching a Signal Flare, while Mist ninja tracked the signal to a Leaf outpost and captured Ishikawa Itsuki. Jinin Akebino interrogated Ishikawa, who revealed everything he knew, and a Mist ninja prepared to kill him.

• Uchiha Jin convinced Nara Kazama and Kudo Shin to trust his plan and follow his orders in combat.
• Team 7 launched a Signal Flare and slipped away, leaving Ishikawa Itsuki behind at the outpost.
• Jinin Akebino led more than fifty Mist ninja to the signal site, then found Ishikawa at Outpost No. 27.
• Jinin Akebino struck Ishikawa and demanded information about his teammates and their whereabouts.
• Ishikawa confessed everything he knew, but Jinin Akebino signaled for a Mist ninja to kill him.

Ishikawa Itsuki was killed after the Mist ninjas rejected his attempted defection, and Jinin Akebino ordered a full assault on the Leaf Village Frontline Camp. Miyamoto Yukie received emergency signals and mobilized the camp to meet the attack.

• Jinin Akebino dismissed Ishikawa Itsuki as useless and ordered his men to kill him, and Itsuki died regretting how he had treated his teammates.
• Jinin Akebino left three squads and a sensory ninja to hunt Team 7, then sent the rest of his force toward the Leaf Village Frontline Camp and signaled a full assault.
• At the Frontline Camp, Miyamoto Yukie worried over his command and his hope of earning a place among Konoha's higher-ups.
• A ninja reported a highest-level red emergency flare from Outpost 27, and Miyamoto Yukie saw the red signal followed by a purple Mist Village flare.
• Miyamoto Yukie ordered the Medical Squad to withdraw under the Third Battalion's protection and mobilized the remaining camp personnel to face the enemy.

Miyamoto Yukie’s Leaf Village camp was caught in a Mist Village assault led by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. As Mist forces closed in, Yukie realized Leaf Village had sent him and the inexperienced troops as sacrificial pawns.

• More than twenty Mist ninjas covered the Leaf Village frontline camp with the Hidden Mist Technique.
• Miyamoto Yukie tried to rally his inexperienced troops, but elite Mist squads emerged from the woods and attacked.
• Jinin Akebino confronted Yukie, while the Mist ninjas mocked Leaf Village’s declining strength and its choice of commander.
• Yukie recognized Jinin Akebino, Suikazan Fuguki, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Munashi Jinpachi, and Raiga Kurosuki among the attackers and realized Mist Village had already declared war.
• Yukie concluded Leaf Village had sent him and the students to buy time, and he cursed the village for making him a pawn.
• Another group arrived from the forest, and a voice asked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen why they were wasting time chatting.

After Mist Village slaughtered Konoha Ninja Village’s inexperienced defenders, Jinin Akebino ordered an invasion of the Land of Fire. Three days later, Uchiha Jin and his companions discussed Ishikawa Itsuki’s death while evading pursuit, and Nara Kazama portrayed the abandoned Itsuki as a hero.

• Jinin Akebino killed Miyamoto Yukie, and the Konoha Ninja Village defenders fled as Mist shinobi attacked.
• Jinin Akebino ordered the Mist shinobi to secure ships, clear out the remaining defenders, and prepare to invade the Land of Fire.
• Three days later, Uchiha Jin, Kudo Shin, and Nara Kazama discussed Ishikawa Itsuki’s death in a hidden cave.
• Nara Kazama called Ishikawa Itsuki’s sacrifice worthwhile and said Leaf Village would remember him as a hero, leaving Kudo Shin and Uchiha Jin stunned.
• Uchiha Jin and his companions recalled that they had killed thirty-one mist ninja and found Itsuki’s corpse, but had avoided bringing it back because the Yamanaka Clan might investigate it.