Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Jin gave Orochimaru White Zetsu, Hashirama Cells, and Hyuga materials, asking him to develop medicine for the Uchiha and improve the Caged Bird Seal. The chapter ended with Orochimaru learning that Minato and the Uchiha were serious about challenging oppression within the village.

• Uchiha Jin gave Orochimaru a scroll containing a White Zetsu corpse and asked him to create Auxiliary Medicine using White Zetsu and Hashirama Cells.
• Uchiha Jin explained that Mangekyō Sharingan use damaged eyesight and proposed that Hashirama’s power could help purify the Uchiha bloodline and address the strain.
• Uchiha Jin handed Orochimaru scrolls containing Hyuga corpses, the Caged Bird Seal, and sealing knowledge.
• Orochimaru realized Minato Namikaze and the Uchiha were serious about confronting the Hyuga Clan’s oppression.
• Uchiha Jin asked Orochimaru to improve the Caged Bird Seal so it could no longer control the sealed person’s life and death.

Uchiha Jin returned to the clan land and learned that Shimura Danzō had come to meet him. After explaining why the Uchiha could not simply kill Danzō, Jin decided to exploit the opportunity to make him ask for their support.

• Uchiha Jin left Orochimaru’s Research Base after handing over the prepared materials and reminding Orochimaru to study the Caged Bird Seal.
• Uchiha Tekka told Uchiha Jin that Shimura Danzō had arrived with two Root Ninja and was meeting Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Ya.
• Uchiha Tekka proposed killing Shimura Danzō, but Uchiha Jin explained that doing so would make the Uchiha the leading suspects in the murder of a Konoha Elder and Hokage candidate.
• Uchiha Jin agreed that Danzō’s visit offered an opportunity and said they should make him ask for their help.
• Uchiha Jin entered the meeting and asked Shimura Danzō why he had come, and Danzō said he wanted the Uchiha Clan to support him in taking office.

Shimura Danzō tried to win the Uchiha Clan’s support in the Fourth Hokage election, arguing that he could offer more than Sarutobi Hiruzen and Minato Namikaze. He left the Uchiha leaders stunned by promising them an additional Konoha Elder Position and a place in the village’s core decision-making.

• Uchiha Setsuna challenged Shimura Danzō’s attitude, but Uchiha Ya stopped him from escalating the confrontation.
• Jin told Shimura Danzō that the Uchiha Clan would choose Minato Namikaze over him unless he offered a compelling reason to support him.
• Jin pointed out that Sarutobi Hiruzen had far greater status, strength, and influence than Shimura Danzō.
• Shimura Danzō argued that Hiruzen could offer the Uchiha Clan little, while Danzō could provide them greater benefits if they helped him become Hokage.
• Shimura Danzō promised to match Hiruzen’s offer and give the Uchiha Clan an additional Konoha Elder Position, leaving Jin, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Ya stunned.

Shimura Danzō tried to win the Uchiha Clan’s support for his rise to power by promising them a Konoha Elder position and three Forbidden Techniques. He proposed that they prove their loyalty by joining him in killing Sarutobi Hiruzen while he was away from the village.

• Uchiha Ya grew excited when Shimura Danzō promised the Uchiha Clan a Konoha Elder position, but Uchiha Jin questioned whether Danzō could be trusted.
• Danzō admitted he had made the same offer to the Hyuga Clan, and Jin warned that Danzō might renege once he gained power.
• Danzō offered the Uchiha Clan three Forbidden Techniques from the Sealing Book as an initial benefit and proposed exchanging Nomination Statements to build trust.
• Danzō pointed out that Sarutobi Hiruzen had left the village with only two Anbu Squads to report to the Daimyo Manor.
• Danzō proposed that he and the Uchiha Clan send men to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen and seize the funds.

Shimura Danzō tried to recruit the Uchiha Clan to ambush and kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, revealing that Hiruzen planned to recommend Minato Namikaze as Fourth Hokage to the daimyo. Uchiha Jin agreed to cooperate only if the Uchiha received three techniques from the Sealing Book first, leaving Danzō surprised by the clan’s hidden Kage Level expert.

• Shimura Danzō proposed killing Sarutobi Hiruzen on his return from the Daimyo Manor and splitting the funds Hiruzen obtained.
• Uchiha Jin challenged Danzō’s motives, and Danzō revealed that Hiruzen intended to recommend Minato Namikaze as Fourth Hokage to the daimyo.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked why Danzō planned to ambush Hiruzen on the return trip, and Danzō explained that he had received the news too late to intercept him earlier.
• Uchiha Jin agreed to send one Kage Level expert if the operation succeeded, but demanded three techniques from the Sealing Book in advance.
• Shimura Danzō was surprised to learn that the Uchiha Clan had a hidden Kage Level expert.

Uchiha Jin agreed to help Shimura Danzō target Sarutobi Hiruzen and secured three forbidden techniques for the Uchiha Clan. After Danzō left, Jin revealed he planned to hire Kakuzu to carry out the attack, setting up a clash between the “Little Third Generation” and the old Third Generation.

• Shimura Danzō gave Uchiha Jin a directory of forbidden techniques, and Jin chose Spirit Transformation Technique, Eight Gates Released Formation, and Summoning Technique: Rashōmon.
• Danzō left after Jin promised the Uchiha Clan would send a Kage Level powerhouse within three days.
• Uchiha Ya worried that helping Danzō assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen would expose the clan, but Jin explained he meant to drive Danzō into madness and make their cooperation contingent on Hiruzen’s death.
• Jin told Uchiha Fugaku to use Cat Granny and the black market to hire Kakuzu for the assassination, offering him a larger bounty.

Shimura Danzō planned to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen with help from an unknown Uchiha Kage Level expert, then exploit the Uchiha Clan and take Minato Namikaze in as a subordinate. As Root struggled to find enough forces for the assassination, Yamanaka Fū suggested using the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and Kumogakure Envoy to provoke a conflict.

• Shimura Danzō told Aburame Ryōma, Yamanaka Fū, and Tenzo that the Uchiha Clan had agreed to provide an unknown Kage Level expert to help kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Shimura Danzō proposed dealing with Uchiha Jin through a banquet, decapitation, or recruitment, and Aburame Ryōma favored killing him.
• Yamanaka Fū pointed out Uchiha Jin’s close relationship with Yakushi Nonō, and Shimura Danzō decided to consider exploiting that weakness after Sarutobi Hiruzen was dealt with.
• Shimura Danzō rejected a banquet for Minato Namikaze and agreed that Root should eventually take him in to gain control of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki’s power.
• Shimura Danzō worried that Root lacked enough strength to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, until Yamanaka Fū suggested using the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and Kumogakure Envoy to set the tiger on the wolf.

Shimura Danzō visited Dodai and Samui to propose that Kumogakure cooperate with him by exploiting Konoha’s weak defenses and the possible death of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Dodai understood that Danzō was suggesting an attack on his own village’s Hokage, but rejected the comparison with Kumogakure’s past internal conflict.

• Root Ninja took over surveillance of the Kumogakure Envoy while Konoha’s Hokage and Anbu Minister were absent.
• Shimura Danzō visited Dodai and found Samui with him; Dodai introduced her as his deputy and future successor.
• Danzō asked what Dodai thought of Konoha’s situation, then said he wanted Kumogakure’s cooperation.
• Danzō claimed Konoha’s defenses were weak and suggested important prisoners could escape if its Anbu were distracted.
• Danzō proposed that Sarutobi Hiruzen’s death outside the village could cause the distraction, shocking Dodai.
• Dodai dismissed Danzō’s comparison to Kumogakure’s past assassination of its own Kage and said working with outsiders was different.

Shimura Danzō persuaded Dodai to help assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen in exchange for freeing Killer B and canceling Konoha’s supply agreement with Kumogakure. Dodai agreed, believing Danzō had suffered greater losses in his conflict with Hanzō the Salamander and could not eliminate the witnesses afterward.

• Shimura Danzō offered Kumogakure a chance to weaken Konoha and take away the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki during an ambush on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Dodai challenged the risks and demanded guarantees, while Shimura Danzō argued that rumors of his involvement would constrain him if he refused to release Killer B.
• Shimura Danzō revealed that Kumogakure had left Elite Jonin squads near the Land of Fire’s border, and Dodai agreed to cooperate if Killer B was freed and his men could return safely.
• After Shimura Danzō left, Samui warned Dodai that Danzō might silence them, but Dodai concluded Danzō lacked the strength to do so after his losses to Hanzō the Salamander.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrived at Daimyo Manor, where they discovered Uchiha Shisui serving as one of the daimyo’s Guardian Ninja. Hiruzen formally resigned as Hokage before the daimyo, leaving his future role unsettled.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen brought Sarutobi Shinnosuke to meet the daimyo and told him to appear as his son rather than as an Anbu officer.
• Uchiha Shisui greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen as the daimyo’s Guardian Ninja, surprising Hiruzen and prompting Sarutobi Shinnosuke to challenge his appointment outside the village.
• Uchiha Shisui said he was acting under orders from the Konoha Military Police Force, and Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped Sarutobi Shinnosuke from arguing further.
• Uchiha Shisui escorted Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Shinnosuke into the palace to meet the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told the daimyo that he was unfit to remain Hokage and formally resigned from the position.

Sarutobi Hiruzen submitted his resignation to the Daimyo and promoted Minato Namikaze as Konoha’s likely Fourth Hokage. He then explained the village’s empty finances, and the Daimyo agreed to cover consolation money for fallen ninjas and allowances for disabled ones.

• The Daimyo accepted Sarutobi Hiruzen’s resignation and asked who would become the Fourth Hokage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen praised Minato Namikaze’s record and abilities, and the Daimyo said he would wait for Minato Namikaze to report after Konoha made its decision.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen said Konoha could not afford payments for fallen or disabled ninjas, and the Daimyo revealed that Uchiha Shisui had told him the Uchiha Clan was expected to give up its benefits.
• The Daimyo criticized the plan to make the Uchiha Clan bear the cost and argued that Konoha should have sought reparations from the defeated nations.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed the defeated nations were too poor to pay, and the Daimyo agreed that Konoha’s ninja benefits must be guaranteed.
• The Daimyo offered to pay the consolation money and disability allowances himself, delighting Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that the Daimyo had given three billion ryo in Konoha aid directly to the Uchiha Clan and appointed them to handle all future financial dealings. He and Sarutobi Shinnosuke considered whether Tsunade could reclaim the financial role, though Shinnosuke worried she might gamble the money away.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked the Daimyo for funds, and the Daimyo revealed he had already given three billion ryo to Uchiha Shisui for the Uchiha Clan.
• The Daimyo cited the Senju Clan's precedent and declared that the Uchiha Clan would handle all financial dealings between Konoha and Daimyo Manor.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to persuade the Daimyo to change his decision and left the palace with Sarutobi Shinnosuke after dinner.
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke complained that the Uchiha Clan had overstepped, but Sarutobi Hiruzen said the Daimyo's support left them little room to act.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen suggested Tsunade could reclaim the financial power because the Senju Clan had not been wiped out, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke worried she would gamble the funds away.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group were ambushed on their return to Konoha, and Hiruzen fought an enemy who matched his command of all five elemental releases. The battle left Hiruzen struck by lightning, while Sarutobi Shinnosuke wondered who their powerful attacker was.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped his group beside a stream to rest, and Sarutobi Yukiko brought food to him and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
• An enemy ambush killed a sentry, and Yukiko sensed ten Standard Jonin Squads led by two unusually powerful ninjas.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered his Anbu to prepare for battle and countered the attackers’ Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning Release techniques.
• The opposing ninja chained elemental attacks faster than Hiruzen could respond, pierced his defenses with False Darkness, and struck him with lightning.
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke recognized that the attacker rivaled Hiruzen in all five elements and asked who they were.

Kakuzu and a group of masked mercenaries ambushed Sarutobi Hiruzen and his party, forcing Hiruzen to summon Monkey King Enma and fight back. After evading Kakuzu’s powerful three-element attack, Hiruzen launched the Five Elements Great Ball Technique.

• Sarutobi Yukiko snapped Sarutobi Shinnosuke out of his shock, and Sarutobi Hiruzen warned him that their opponent was too powerful to handle.
• Kakuzu revealed that he had survived an encounter with the First Hokage and explained that someone had hired him to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• A masked ninja used Earth Style: Earthquake Core while Kakuzu and dozens of elite ninja attacked, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to order the Anbu Ninja to disperse and escape.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Monkey King Enma, who transformed into the Adamantine Staff, and Hiruzen redirected Kakuzu’s fire-and-wind attack toward the enemies surrounding the Anbu Ninja.
• Kakuzu fired a devastating Lightning Three Elements Final Shot, but Sarutobi Hiruzen evaded it by extending the Adamantine Staff and then formed five Shadow Clones to unleash the Five Elements Great Ball Technique.

Sarutobi Hiruzen battled Kakuzu while trying to protect his remaining Anbu and create a chance for them to escape. As Sarutobi Shinnosuke hesitated to leave his father behind, a lightning-wreathed attacker pierced his chest with a kunai.

• Kakuzu countered Sarutobi Hiruzen's Five Elements Great Ball Technique with five nature transformations, while Enma urged Hiruzen to retreat because his Anbu were being overwhelmed.
• Kakuzu caught Hiruzen with black threads and struck him, but Enma grabbed Kakuzu's wrist and gave Hiruzen a chance to escape.
• Hiruzen used a shuriken barrage to distract the Masked Ninjas, then formed an Adamantine Prison Wall and told the survivors to flee.
• Kakuzu broke through Hiruzen's defense and battered him, while Hiruzen urged Sarutobi Shinnosuke to escape and called him Konoha's future.
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke refused to abandon his father, but a lightning-wreathed figure pierced his chest with a kunai.

Sarutobi Hiruzen fought the Masked Ninjas as they killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sarutobi Yukiko, but Tenzo’s Wood Style disrupted the battle and made him a target for capture. As Kakuzu joined the attack on Hiruzen, Tenzo tried to escape by unleashing Wood Style: Sea of Trees Birth.

• The masked leader killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke and attacked Sarutobi Yukiko, while Sarutobi Hiruzen fought through the surrounding ninjas to reach them.
• The masked ninja severed Sarutobi Yukiko’s arm and killed her, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to abandon the Adamantine Prison Wall and attack with his staff.
• Tenzo used Wood Style: Great Forest Technique, distracting both sides, and the masked leader ordered several teams to capture him alive.
• The masked leader offered Kakuzu an additional thirty million ryo to keep attacking Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Kakuzu accepted.
• Surrounded by the Masked Ninjas, Tenzo decided to escape and unleashed Wood Style: Sea of Trees Birth.

Tenzo used Wood Release to bind the attackers, but Kayui’s Lightning Release let him pursue Tenzo until Sarutobi Hiruzen intervened and helped him escape. Kakuzu stayed behind after Enma vanished, demanding higher pay from the Cloud Shinobi Leader for continuing the pursuit.

• Tenzo unleashed Sea of Trees Birth, binding the masked ninjas before fleeing while weakened.
• Kayui used Lightning Release Chakra Mode to catch up to Tenzo, but Sarutobi Hiruzen struck him with the Adamantine Staff and rescued Tenzo.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen burned through the forest and fled with Tenzo, leaving Enma to hold back Kayui and the other pursuers.
• Kakuzu used False Darkness to force Enma to vanish, and the Cloud Shinobi Leader ordered the surviving ninjas to pursue Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Kakuzu refused to join the pursuit unless the Cloud Shinobi Leader paid more, arguing that the danger had increased.

In a cave, Sarutobi Hiruzen recovered enough to explain Tenzo’s predicament and recruit him into the Anbu, offering protection from Shimura Danzō. Tenzo accepted, but a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal prevented him from revealing Danzō’s plans, leaving Hiruzen to consider how to deal with it.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen vomited a blood clot and revealed that Kakuzu had left him with severe injuries.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen deduced that Shimura Danzō had sent Tenzo and warned that Danzō might kill him to cover up the failed assassination mission.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen offered Tenzo a place in the Anbu and promised to protect him from Shimura Danzō.
• Tenzo accepted Sarutobi Hiruzen’s recruitment after Hiruzen explained that he blamed Danzō, not Tenzo, for the attack.
• Tenzo showed Sarutobi Hiruzen the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal that stopped him from discussing Danzō’s plans.

After the failed attempt to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, Dodai confronted Shimura Danzō and demanded that he help the Kumogakure Envoy Group escape Konoha and release Killer B. Dodai offered resources to support Danzō’s bid to become Fourth Hokage, and Danzō accepted the Storage Scroll.

• Shimura Danzō blamed Dodai and the Kumogakure forces for botching the operation and exposing their identities.
• Dodai argued that they needed to arrange their escape and reminded Danzō that Konoha could implicate him in the attack on its Hokage.
• Dodai proposed that Kumogakure take public responsibility while Danzō dealt with Tenzo, preserving Danzō’s chance to become Fourth Hokage.
• Dodai offered resources to help Danzō gain support from Konoha’s smaller clans.
• Shimura Danzō hesitated, then accepted Dodai’s Storage Scroll.

Konoha came under a coordinated attack, but the Military Police Force was left to handle the chaos without support from the village’s other departments. Uchiha Jin suspected Shimura Danzō and the Kumogakure Envoy were behind the crisis and split his forces between defending Konoha and intercepting the escapees.

• Uchiha Yashiro reported attacks on key sites across Konoha and said the enemies had entered from within the village while other departments remained inactive.
• Uchiha Jin suspected Shimura Danzō and the Kumogakure Envoy had arranged the attacks and issued orders to deploy the Uchiha divisions.
• Uchiha Hachidai led three divisions toward Kumogakure, Uchiha Tekka took forces to suppress the attacks, and Uchiha Fugaku went to seek Hyuga support.
• Uchiha Jin arrived at Konoha Prison and ordered two divisions to kill escaped prisoners who resisted.
• Uchiha Jin led the Tenth Division after a group that had fled beyond Konoha’s borders.