Chapter Summaries

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Genji negotiated a peace agreement and a year-long exchange of young shinobi between Konoha and Kirigakure. After Genji presented Dōenmaru, a blade linked to Izuna Uchiha, Hiruzen returned it to the Uchiha Clan in exchange for their contribution to Konoha’s planned orphanage.

• Genji proposed intelligence-sharing and other cooperation between Kirigakure and Konoha, while Danzo warned him about Iwagakure’s growing threat.
• Hiruzen proposed hosting Kirigakure’s young talents for a year, and Genji accepted, naming himself and the three accompanying shinobi as the exchange group.
• Genji presented Dōenmaru, a blade once commissioned by the Uchiha Clan, and Hiruzen and Genji signed a peace agreement.
• After Genji left, Hiruzen and Danzo revealed their apparent quarrel had been a performance to persuade Genji that Konoha was divided.
• Hiruzen gave Dōenmaru to Isshin and asked the Uchiha Clan to contribute to the construction of Konoha’s orphanage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained Kirigakure’s attempt to exploit Konoha’s history and promised the Uchiha that he would pursue a fair public judgment of Uchiha Madara once the clan earned enough trust. Uchiha Isshin accepted the promise and committed to improving the Uchiha’s standing as Hiruzen headed to the Ninja Academy.

• Danzo questioned giving Izuna Uchiha’s sword to Uchiha Isshin, then revealed he had wanted to honor Senju Tobirama with it because of his regret over failing to protect him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained how Kirigakure had used the sword to stir old grievances and laid out the Uchiha’s and Konoha’s complicated history, including Uchiha Madara’s contributions and attack on Senju Hashirama.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said Konoha should acknowledge Madara’s role in naming the village and promised to work toward an official, more balanced judgment of him if the Uchiha continued to improve their reputation.
• Uchiha Isshin gratefully accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s promise and vowed to help address the clan’s concerns, while Hiruzen cautioned him not to overextend the Uchiha’s funds.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi set off for the Ninja Academy to complete the final formality with Genji, intending to gradually ease restrictions on the Uchiha if their conduct justified it.

Genji brought Terumi Mei, Kisame, Yuki, and Kaguya Kimimaro to Konoha for a year-long exchange mission, while Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed them at the Ninja Academy. After the Kirigakure shinobi demonstrated their Kekkei Genkai, Hiruzen surprised everyone by creating a vast Ice Playground with Ice Release.

• Genji ordered Terumi Mei, Kisame, Yuki, and Kaguya Kimimaro to train Konoha students for a year and avoid unnecessary actions while living in Uchiha territory.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted the four Kirigakure shinobi at the Ninja Academy, where Terumi Mei demonstrated Boil Release and Scorch Release, Yuki displayed Ice Release, and Kaguya Kimimaro showed Shikotsumyaku.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi studied the demonstrated Kekkei Genkai, while Konoha's students discussed the abilities and prepared to visit an Ice Playground.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi used Ice Release to create a sprawling playground of slides, swings, and a labyrinth, shocking Danzo and Senju Tobirama.

Hiruzen Sarutobi demonstrated his powerful Ice Release to the Konoha students and welcomed Terumi Mei and the other Kirigakure youths to spend a year training and studying in Konoha. After explaining how he had learned to fuse chakra natures, he left Danzo and Senju Tobirama questioning his abilities and intentions.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi created an expansive Ice Release display, earning the Ninja Academy students’ admiration and startling Danzo, Terumi Mei, and Yuki.
• Hiruzen reassured Yuki, welcomed the Kirigakure youths, and offered them Konoha Academy lessons, supplies, medical care, and sparring opportunities; Kisame resolved to investigate whether Konoha’s generous claims were true.
• Asuma put Kaguya Kimimaro at ease after their earlier conflict, and the two introduced themselves and shook hands.
• Hiruzen explained that he had learned Ice Release by repeatedly attempting chakra-nature fusion and drawing inspiration from Yuki’s technique.
• Senju Tobirama became concerned about Danzo’s former Root organization, while Hiruzen explained that his expertise in Wind, Water, and Earth transformations helped him master Ice Release.

Hiruzen Sarutobi demonstrated chakra fusion to the Ninja Academy students and unexpectedly mastered Boil Release on his second attempt. After he gave Obito Uchiha a birthday photo for his grandmother and left to practice, Danzo decided to pursue Uchiha Aosui, unaware Senju Tobirama had also set his sights on him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained chakra fusion and warned the Ninja Academy students about the dangers of attempting it inside their bodies.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi successfully fused Water Nature and Fire Nature Chakra to create Boil Release, astonishing the students, Danzo, and Senju Tobirama.
• Obito asked Hiruzen Sarutobi for an autograph for his grandmother, and Hiruzen made him a sealed ice photo frame as a birthday gift.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi left to strengthen his control of Boil Release, while Danzo reflected on his research and considered recruiting Uchiha Aosui.
• Danzo resolved to give Uchiha Aosui another chance, unaware Senju Tobirama had already set his sights on him.

Kaguya Kimimaro began reconsidering Kirigakure’s brutal ways after settling into Konoha, where Asuma and Hyuga Tenzo treated him as a friend and relative. Tenzo explained Kirigakure’s factional conflicts and Konoha’s view that ninja were people, leaving Kimimaro to ponder the Will of Fire as he went to lunch with Asuma.

• Kimimaro woke in the Uchiha Compound, feared the Uchiha’s threats, and wondered whether Asuma had truly forgiven him.
• Asuma, Hyuga Tenzo, and Uchiha Hono visited Kimimaro, who politely thanked them and greeted Tenzo as his great-uncle.
• Kimimaro described Konoha’s academy students and admitted that he no longer agreed with the Kaguya Clan’s belief that fighting was the answer to everything.
• Tenzo explained Kirigakure’s factional system and offered Kimimaro advice intended to help the Kaguya Clan and deepen its ties with Konoha.
• Hono told Kimimaro that Namikaze Minato would soon test the exchange students, while Tenzo explained Konoha’s limb-restoration research and said ninja were people, not disposable tools.
• Kimimaro struggled to understand the Will of Fire, then went with Asuma to eat seafood ramen at the Ninja Academy cafeteria.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Uchiha Isshin to curb praise calling him the “Strongest Hokage” and approved the Uchiha clan meeting and plans to broaden the Military Police Force. The chapter ended with Danzo confronting Uchiha Aosui, who was Senju Tobirama in a previous life, and again demanding that he become his disciple.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi experimented with Boil Release and explained to Uchiha Isshin that his Lightning Release Chakra Mode could withstand a small amount of its corrosive chakra.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Isshin to stop the village from calling him the “Strongest Hokage” and to promote Konoha’s history, other villages’ strengths, and the village’s security systems instead.
• Isshin told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Uchiha planned a clan meeting to discuss Madara and reforming the Military Police Force, and Hiruzen approved the meeting and urged the clan to reach consensus.
• Danzo appeared before Uchiha Aosui in a forest and offered him one more chance to become his disciple.

Senju Tobirama, posing as the Uchiha youth Aosui, challenged Danzo over Root, village accountability, and the Will of Madara, then warned him to make amends before Aosui graduated. Uchiha Madara praised Aosui’s interpretation and devised a plan to provoke a failed Uchiha mission, hoping to turn Aosui and the Uchiha against Konoha.

• Senju Tobirama mocked Danzo’s appearance and ambitions, then challenged him for using the Will of Fire and Tobirama’s name to pressure the Uchiha.
• Danzo tried to recruit Aosui into Root and promised him a chance to become Hokage, but Aosui said he wanted only to improve Konoha.
• Senju Tobirama argued that the Will of Madara warned against the village becoming an excuse for oppression and demanded oversight of Konoha’s leaders.
• Senju Tobirama warned Danzo to reform Root and make amends before Aosui graduated, or Aosui would oppose him; Danzo rejected the warning.
• Uchiha Madara declared Aosui the inheritor of his will and plotted to sabotage an Uchiha mission so Konoha’s leaders would turn against Aosui and the clan.

At a packed Uchiha clan meeting, Senju Tobirama argued that the Military Police Force had isolated and weakened the clan, then urged them to confront the dangers tied to the Sharingan. When Uchiha Tsuru challenged his authority, Tobirama forcefully awakened a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and asked to continue.

• Uchiha Isshin arranged for Uchiha Fugaku to take attendance and confirmed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had approved security coverage while the clan met.
• Senju Tobirama explained how the Military Police Force had separated the Uchiha from other villagers and proposed sharing most of its positions with other clans and capable commoner ninja.
• Uchiha Hono rebuked Uchiha Tsuru for blaming Hiruzen Sarutobi and defended the Hokage's actions toward the Uchiha.
• Senju Tobirama described the Uchiha's history of eye-driven violence and warned the clan to master their emotions rather than become slaves to their Sharingan.
• Uchiha Tsuru challenged Senju Tobirama's right to speak about the Sharingan, so Tobirama forcefully awakened a Three-Tomoe Sharingan before the stunned clan.
• Shisui and Obito rushed to Senju Tobirama's sides, and the One-Tomoe in both their eyes changed into Two-Tomoe.

Senju Tobirama, posing as Aosui, won the Uchiha's respect and proposed publicly impeaching Danzo to test whether Hiruzen Sarutobi truly accepted the clan. He vowed to take sole responsibility, while Uchiha Madara watched, moved by how closely Aosui resembled Izuna.

• After demonstrating his Sharingan, Senju Tobirama reassured the Uchiha and urged them to communicate rather than bear their burdens alone.
• Senju Tobirama proposed testing Hiruzen Sarutobi's acceptance of the Uchiha by publicly challenging a serious village problem, and the clan applauded his plan to act alone.
• Senju Tobirama announced that he would impeach Danzo over Root's past abuses, arguing that the Hokage's response would reveal whether the Uchiha could speak freely.
• When Uchiha Hono, Fugaku, and Uchiha Tsuru warned him that targeting Danzo was dangerous, Senju Tobirama vowed to bear the consequences himself and described a plan to reconcile with Danzo afterward.
• Isshin gave Senju Tobirama Izuna's katana, and the Uchiha paid tribute as he assumed Izuna's sword stance.
• Uchiha Madara was moved by Senju Tobirama's resemblance to Izuna, then ended his connection with White Zetsu.

Yakushi Nonō returned to Konoha and met with Hiruzen Sarutobi, who appointed her to lead the village-affiliated orphanages and made her an Alternate Committee Member. Afterward, Hiruzen considered using Earth Release techniques to strengthen himself and counter Flying Thunder God users.

• Yakushi Nonō toured Konoha and saw its reforms, then met Hiruzen Sarutobi while Uchiha Isshin discussed reforming the Police Force.
• Hiruzen approved Isshin’s plan, gave the Uchiha guidance on returning to mission work, and directed them to fund the orphanages.
• Hiruzen reassured Nonō about her past service under Root and assigned her to run the village-affiliated orphanages, where she would train talented orphans in medical ninjutsu.
• Hiruzen appointed Nonō a Konoha Alternate Committee Member and instructed her to coordinate with Tsunade.
• Hiruzen studied the Earth Release techniques Nonō brought back and planned to develop a gravitational field that could counter Flying Thunder God users.

Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Mito Uzumaki with Tsunade, learned about Hiruko and Orochimaru's research, and saw Yamato use Wood Release. Mito helped Tsunade advance her research and gave Hiruzen Senju Hashirama's Crimson Battle Armor before he left.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade discussed Hiruko and Orochimaru's Chimera Technique, and Hiruzen agreed to reassure Hiruko and address Hizashi's concerns.
• Hiruzen and Tsunade found Danzo working in Mito Uzumaki's garden, and Hiruzen urged him to compensate people for Root's past actions.
• Mito Uzumaki welcomed Hiruzen and Tsunade, and Yamato demonstrated that he could use Wood Release.
• Mito Uzumaki advised Tsunade on the Strength of a Hundred Technique and Medical Chakra Scrolls, giving Tsunade a new research direction.
• Mito Uzumaki discussed Shio's interest in an Uchiha boy with Hiruzen, who said they should make their own choice.
• Mito Uzumaki gave Hiruzen Senju Hashirama's Crimson Battle Armor, and he accepted it as a sign of her trust.

Hiruzen Sarutobi inspected the Scientific Research Department and learned that Hiruko and Orochimaru needed a powerful volunteer to improve the dangerous Chimera Technique. Hizashi volunteered, and Hiruzen urged him to reconsider and marry first, while appointing Hiruko as Asuma’s teacher and promising to hear Orochimaru’s personal request later.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi encouraged Hiruko to explain the Chimera Technique and reassured him that the village supported his research despite its setbacks.
• Hiruko explained that the technique could transplant Kekkei Genkai but needed data from one powerful, willing ninja to reduce its dangerous array intensity.
• Hizashi offered himself for the experiment, saying he wanted to grow stronger and serve Hiruzen Sarutobi and the village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Kakuzu as a possible volunteer, but Hizashi persisted, so Hiruzen urged him to marry first and promised to protect any child from the Caged Bird Seal.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Hiruko as Asuma’s teacher and told Orochimaru to discuss his personal request another time.
• After Hiruzen left, Orochimaru reassured Hiruko that he was now part of the Hokage Faction, and Hiruko and Orochimaru began preparing for Hizashi’s surgery.

Kisame discussed the differences between Konoha and Kirigakure with Might Guy and Kakashi, and struggled to reconcile Konoha’s open systems with his faith in the Mizukage. As the exchange students prepared to return home, Senju Tobirama observed how Konoha had affected them, then began criticizing Danzo on the Will of Fire Exam.

• Kisame asked Might Guy why he trained so hard, and Guy said he wanted to protect every companion and everything in Konoha.
• Kisame questioned whether killing companions who opposed the Mizukage was wrong, and Might Guy urged him to tell the Mizukage to admit his mistakes.
• Kakashi explained Konoha’s process for raising complaints, prompting Kisame to compare its system with Kirigakure’s and insist that Kirigakure would improve.
• Kimimaro told Senju Tobirama that he felt more peaceful in Konoha, while Terumi Mei and Yuki enjoyed their time with the other students.
• Senju Tobirama recognized how the exchange students’ experiences in Konoha had changed their outlook, then criticized Danzo on the Will of Fire Exam.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had Danzo grade the Ninja Academy exams, and Danzo gave Senju Tobirama’s paper a zero for criticizing Root. Senju Tobirama used the bloodstained paper to rally classmates against Danzo, while Uchiha Isshin feared Aosui was seriously ill and waited at his home.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed the students’ views on the Will of Fire and noted Senju Tobirama’s criticism of Danzo and Root.
• Danzo insisted that Aosui was dangerous, then graded the exams and gave Senju Tobirama’s paper zero with a harsh comment.
• Senju Tobirama saw Danzo’s score, feigned a coughing fit that stained his paper with blood, and urged classmates to gather evidence against Root.
• Kisame and the other Kirigakure exchange students compared Konoha’s treatment of Root with conditions in Kirigakure and hoped Konoha would address the issue fairly.
• Asuma, Kakashi, Might Guy, and other students pledged to support Senju Tobirama and testify about Root.
• Shisui and Obito told Isshin that Aosui had been vomiting blood and overworking himself, so Isshin went to wait for him at home.

Senju Tobirama received Uchiha Isshin’s Mangekyō power and accepted responsibility for leading the Uchiha, while Isshin chose to trust Konoha rather than oppose it. Tobirama looked forward to using Isshin’s bloodline-summoning ability to face Izuna, and Hiruzen Sarutobi unexpectedly improved his dynamic vision while sparring with Namikaze Minato.

• Obito and Shisui explained how they had discovered Tobirama’s declining health and asked to help him, prompting Isshin to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Isshin used his healing Dōjutsu to strengthen Tobirama’s body and soul, then transferred his remaining Mangekyō power and entrusted him with leading the Uchiha.
• Isshin explained that his Yata Imperial Spirit could summon an ancestor’s power through Uchiha blood, and Tobirama secretly anticipated using it to summon Izuna.
• Isshin said he would accept Hiruzen Sarutobi’s fair handling of Root and wanted the Uchiha to live peacefully in Konoha, while Tobirama agreed to keep the clan’s plans quiet.
• Isshin decided to replace his blinded eyes with Setsuna’s eyes, and Tobirama privately resolved to use a Forbidden Technique against Izuna if he summoned him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi’s dynamic vision improved while he sparred with Namikaze Minato, allowing him to catch a Flying Thunder God Kunai with his fingers.

Hiruzen Sarutobi used a gravity technique to challenge Minato, helping him improve his Flying Thunder God skills and advising him to combine them with sealing jutsu. Meanwhile, Madara advanced a scheme involving the Uchiha and the Yuan Clan, as Tobirama sensed that Izuna had arrived.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi disrupted Minato’s Flying Thunder God with a gravity field, then struck him with a forehead flick and explained that the technique could be countered.
• Hiruzen advised Minato to focus on mobility rather than Lightning Armor, and Minato planned to work with Kushina on combining sealing jutsu with Flying Thunder God.
• Minato told Hiruzen he planned to marry Kushina, and Hiruzen joked that the village would use their romance to promote cosmetics without paying them royalties.
• White Zetsu reported that Aosui would fight Minato and that he had rallied students to impeach Danzo, while Madara outlined a scheme involving the Yuan Clan and its mirror.
• White Zetsu told Madara that Isshin had gone blind and Aosui had grown stronger, and Madara decided to gather more information while lamenting that he missed Izuna.
• Tobirama sensed chakra from another dimension through Isshin’s dōjutsu and realized that Izuna had arrived.

Tobirama used Isshin’s Yata Imperial Soul to summon Izuna into his mental space, then manipulated their conversation to gain Izuna’s cooperation and learn how he would have handled Konoha’s founding. Izuna learned how the Uchiha’s history unfolded after his death, while Tobirama recognized that Izuna’s political instincts could make him a formidable ally—or rival.

• Isshin taught Tobirama about Izuna and the Uchiha ancestors so Tobirama could communicate effectively with the spirit summoned by Yata Imperial Soul.
• Izuna appeared inside Tobirama’s mental space and mistook the similar-looking young man for his son, while Tobirama pretended to resent Izuna’s past decisions.
• Tobirama claimed Izuna’s advice had harmed the Uchiha and described the clan’s current struggles, prompting Izuna to apologize and ask about what had happened after his death.
• Tobirama recounted Madara’s departure from Konoha, his battle with Hashirama, and the later history of the Uchiha and the village.
• Izuna explained how he would have used political influence and a position behind the Hokage to strengthen the Uchiha, and Tobirama realized how dangerous Izuna could have been if he had survived.

Izuna and Tobirama discussed the Uchiha’s future, Konoha’s leadership, and the boy’s painful past before Izuna examined him with his Mangekyō Sharingan. Convinced that Uchiha Aosui was descended from both himself and Senju Tobirama, Izuna declared himself Aosui’s grandfather and Tobirama his maternal grandfather.

• Izuna worried that the Uchiha were doomed, while Tobirama regretted failing to guide Hiruzen Sarutobi more carefully.
• Tobirama explained that Hiruzen had eased restrictions on the Uchiha, and Izuna reasoned that the Hokage system favored Senju Tobirama’s ideological successors.
• Izuna advised Tobirama to train beyond the Sharingan and develop ninjutsu, then warned him that Mito Uzumaki could detect them.
• Tobirama described being enslaved in Kusagakure, escaping after awakening his Sharingan, and returning to Konoha after its forces attacked the village.
• Izuna used his Mangekyō Sharingan to examine Tobirama and concluded that Aosui was descended from both him and Senju Tobirama.
• Izuna announced that he was Aosui’s grandfather and Senju Tobirama was Aosui’s maternal grandfather, leaving Tobirama stunned.

Tobirama told Izuna about his plans for the Uchiha and received Izuna’s promise to lend him the Kuramitsumi dōjutsu. After Izuna returned to the Pure Land, Hiruzen began calming Root’s members as he prepared to reform the organization.

• Tobirama convinced Izuna that he was committed to the Uchiha, then explained his plan to earn the clan military credit and restore Madara’s standing in Konoha.
• Izuna agreed to help Tobirama fight Minato and described Kuramitsumi, its teleporting clones, and its heavy Dojutsu Power costs.
• Izuna urged Tobirama not to push Danzo too hard after hearing about Hiruzen’s reforms and the benefits Konoha’s ninjas received.
• Tobirama ended the summoning after teasing Izuna about an old incident involving Mito, then celebrated learning Izuna’s dōjutsu.
• Hiruzen gathered Root’s original ninjas at the Senju Ancestral Residence and began thanking them as he worked to soothe the organization.