Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Kei learned that Kazuma had begun collecting Nine-Tails Chakra and led Kakashi and Hyuga Aya toward the Land of Fire’s capital to investigate. He planned to seize the chakra and use the evidence to pressure the Daimyo, while keeping his team prepared for a fight with the Guardian Shinobi Twelve.

• Uchiha Kei reassured Uchiha Fugaku that Obito could be trusted and said he planned to leave within a day or two to deal with Kazuma.
• Uchiha Kei reported Obito’s visit to Namikaze Minato, who ordered him to resolve the matter completely and make use of the opportunity.
• Uchiha Kei, Kakashi, and Hyuga Aya departed Konoha for the Land of Fire’s capital on an investigative mission.
• Uchiha Kei told Kakashi that Rin was Obito’s older brother and implied Rin had supplied the information about Kazuma.
• Hyuga Aya guessed that Uchiha Kei intended to defeat the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, expose their activities, and use the evidence to pressure the Daimyo; Kei agreed and suggested the Daimyo could be replaced if necessary.
• Uchiha Kei warned Kakashi and Hyuga Aya not to underestimate the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, despite his own confidence in handling them.

Uchiha Kei planned how to handle the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, whose members were divided between factions loyal to the Hokage and the Daimyo. He assigned Kakashi to contact the Hokage-aligned squad and prepared to deal with the remaining members alongside Hyuga Aya.

• Uchiha Kei reasoned that the Guardian Shinobi Twelve's factions should be dealt with or persuaded to serve Konoha.
• Hyuga Aya and Kakashi visited Uchiha Kei and urged him to explain their mission plan.
• Uchiha Kei said he would target Kazuma and first identify how the Guardian Shinobi Twelve were grouped.
• Kakashi offered to investigate Kazuma, but Uchiha Kei assigned him Beizi, Nanwu, Xidou, and Dongmao, whom Kei believed were aligned with the Hokage.
• Uchiha Kei told Hyuga Aya that Chiriku was likely Hokage-aligned and left her to decide whether to kill or capture her targets.

Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya visited the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to confront him over the Twelve Guardian Ninja and their connection to the Nine-Tails' chakra. After Uchiha Kei used Genjutsu on Kazuma and cleared the room, he accused the Daimyo's men of gathering the chakra, leaving the Daimyo visibly troubled.

• Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya agreed to visit the Daimyo, while Kakashi went to have Anbu spread information within two days.
• Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya entered the Daimyo's palace and waited until the Daimyo arrived with twelve Guardian Ninja.
• Kazuma challenged Uchiha Kei, who put him under Genjutsu and unnerved the other Guardian Ninja.
• The Daimyo ordered the Guardian Ninja and attendants to leave so he could speak privately with Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya.
• Uchiha Kei told the Daimyo that Konoha had discovered his men gathering the Nine-Tails' chakra, and the Daimyo denied it in alarm.

Uchiha Kei threatened the Fire Daimyo over his subordinates’ collection of Nine-Tails Chakra and warned that Konoha could replace him. After leaving the palace, Kei discussed the investigation with Hyuga Aya and planned to secure evidence before Kakashi’s two-day deadline ended.

• Uchiha Kei told the Fire Daimyo that the Hokage and Daimyo could both be replaced, then promised Konoha would present evidence of the Nine-Tails Chakra collection.
• The Daimyo agreed to handle the matter, then slumped into his chair after Kei and Hyuga Aya left the palace.
• Uchiha Kei predicted the Daimyo might spread rumors against him, but said public opinion would already be turning against the Daimyo.
• Hyuga Aya described the apparent loyalties of Kazuma’s squad, Chiriku’s squad, and the four Lightning Style shinobi, while Kei assigned her and Kakashi to handle them.
• Uchiha Kei explained that Genjutsu had let him glimpse Kazuma’s memories and learn where the Nine-Tails Chakra was being kept.
• Uchiha Kei decided to obtain evidence before Kakashi’s two-day deadline and said he would disguise it well enough to avoid Furiido’s suspicion.

Uchiha Kei went to retrieve the Nine-Tails Chakra while rumors spread through the capital blaming the Daimyo’s shinobi for collecting it. After Kazuma killed Kubo Kengo, Kei and Hyuga Aya prepared to follow Kazuma and take the sealed scroll.

• Uchiha Kei used Kakashi’s rumors and the Daimyo’s counter-rumors to fuel public suspicion and headed for the forest where Kazuma had hidden the collected Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Uchiha Kei followed Kubo Kengo and Kazuma to the cave, where Kazuma attacked Kubo Kengo after Kubo urged him to abandon his plans.
• Kazuma defeated Kubo Kengo and pierced his chest, while Uchiha Kei watched from hiding and decided Kazuma would die for killing his teammate.
• Hyuga Aya joined Uchiha Kei and correctly guessed that he wanted the Nine-Tails Chakra for experiments, then reported that Kazuma had sealed the scroll and Kubo Kengo was dead.
• Uchiha Kei ordered Hyuga Aya to watch Kazuma and help with the seals as they moved to pursue him and claim the scroll.

Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya stole a scroll that contained the Nine-Tails' chakra, then Uchiha Kei absorbed its contents into his Susanoo. He suppressed and merged the volatile chakra with his own, leaving his Susanoo far more powerful but causing damage to the inn room.

• Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya entered Kazuma's cave after he left and took the scroll by undoing its seals.
• Kakashi returned to the inn, reported that the rumors were spreading, and learned that he should prepare to subdue four Lightning Style Ninja the next day.
• Uchiha Kei opened the scroll and confirmed that it contained the Nine-Tails' chakra, which his Susanoo absorbed completely.
• Uchiha Kei used his Mangekyo Dojutsu Power to restrain the volatile chakra and make it resonate with his Susanoo.
• The Nine-Tails' chakra merged with the Susanoo's black chakra, releasing a powerful aura that widened the cracks in the inn's walls.

Uchiha Kei decided to use Kazuma’s memories instead of the scroll as evidence and brought Kakashi and Hyuga Aya to confront the Daimyo and the Guardian Shinobi. When Kazuma demanded to know where Kubo Kengo was, Kei attacked, swiftly overwhelming Kazuma’s squad and leaving the Daimyo terrified.

• Uchiha Kei sealed the Nine-Tails chakra in a scroll, kept it from Namikaze Minato, and planned to retrieve Kazuma’s head as evidence.
• Uchiha Kei, Kakashi, and Hyuga Aya walked openly to the Daimyo’s palace as rumors spread through the capital.
• Uchiha Kei advised Kakashi to stay close to power without mistaking proximity for control, and to hold fast to his principles.
• At the palace, Kazuma challenged Uchiha Kei about Kubo Kengo, and Kei answered that Kengo was in the Pure Land before attacking.
• Uchiha Kei struck Kazuma and killed three Guardian Shinobi, while Kakashi and Hyuga Aya fought the others and the Daimyo cowered nearby.

Hyuga Aya and Kakashi fought the Guardian Shinobi under the restrictions imposed by the Daimyo’s presence. Aya defeated Chiriku and his teammate, while Kakashi outmaneuvered the Lightning Style Four-Man Squad and prepared to finish the remaining opponents.

• Aya attacked the Guardian Shinobi, killing one with a Gentle Fist strike and pressuring Chiriku and the last teammate.
• Aya countered Chiriku’s golden Chakra technique, disrupted his Chakra flow, and incapacitated him before knocking down his teammate.
• Kakashi used his Sharingan and White Fang Tanto to counter the Lightning Style Four-Man Squad, trapping Nanwu underground and knocking Xidu unconscious.
• Kakashi pressed Dongmao until she used a Lightning Clone to retreat, then struck her from behind with a Ninja Sword and paralyzed her.
• Beizi and Nanwu charged Kakashi in desperation, and Kakashi decided to end the fight quickly.

Uchiha Kei and his companions defeated the Twelve Guardian Ninja, then confronted the Daimyo over his alliance with Kazuma. Kei revealed a scroll containing Nine-Tails chakra and made Kazuma realize Konoha might have engineered the events that exposed him.

• Hyuga Aya and Kakashi defeated their opponents, while Uchiha Kei observed; the three Konoha Ninja overwhelmed the Twelve Guardian Ninja in under five minutes.
• The Daimyo, shaken by the defeat, offered to disband the Guardian Shinobi and pay Konoha, but Uchiha Kei challenged his claim that the conflict was a misunderstanding.
• Uchiha Kei seized Kazuma and shocked him, then questioned the Guardian Shinobi about a missing member they believed Konoha had killed.
• Uchiha Kei opened a scroll that released orange chakra, leading Chiriku and the others to suspect Kazuma had collected Nine-Tails chakra.
• Kazuma recognized the scroll and realized Konoha might have spread rumors deliberately to make Kubo Kengo search for his belongings and expose Kazuma.

Uchiha Kei exposed Kazuma’s plot and forced the Land of Fire Daimyo to accept Konoha’s authority. He set four conditions and left further negotiations for the Daimyo’s meeting with the Hokage.

• Uchiha Kei revealed that Kazuma was developing a technique that used corpses to create war puppets, and explained that Kazuma had killed and sealed Kubo Kengo’s body.
• Chiriku searched Kazuma and found the scroll containing Kubo Kengo’s corpse, confirming Uchiha Kei’s account.
• Hyuga Aya claimed that she and Uchiha Kei had witnessed Kazuma kill Kubo Kengo, concealing how Uchiha Kei had learned what happened.
• The Daimyo denied knowing about the plot, then agreed to discuss terms with Uchiha Kei after seeing the evidence.
• Uchiha Kei demanded that Konoha take over the Daimyo’s security, that the incident be made public, that the Daimyo pay for Konoha’s intervention, and that future financial assistance increase by thirty percent.

Uchiha Kei secured harsh concessions from the Daimyo and explained to Hyuga Aya that he was storing Tailed Beast Chakra in his Susanoo. When combining the Three-Tails and Nine-Tails Chakra destabilized the Susanoo, he guided it through a transformation and formed its fourth stage.

• Uchiha Kei forced the Daimyo to accept severe political and financial terms, and the Daimyo chose to travel to Konoha for talks.
• Uchiha Kei left Kakashi to escort the Daimyo and tasked him with recruiting the former guards or eliminating them if they refused.
• Hyuga Aya realized Uchiha Kei had collected Nine-Tails Chakra, and he revealed that his Susanoo—not his body—held the Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Uchiha Kei's Susanoo began to collapse when he combined the Three-Tails and Nine-Tails Chakra, so he withdrew and inspected the scattered chakra.
• Uchiha Kei used his Mangekyo to reform the Susanoo, growing it to nearly eighty meters and creating its fourth stage.

Uchiha Kei tested his evolved Susanoo and learned that his fusion rate had risen close to seventy percent. After Hyuga Aya urged them to leave before anyone investigated the chakra, Kei proposed one more test for her.

• Uchiha Kei controlled his fourth-stage Susanoo with unprecedented precision and unleashed a devastating sword strike before dismissing it.
• Hyuga Aya arrived, and Uchiha Kei explained that the Tailed Beast chakra had forced Susanoo to evolve and be reconstructed.
• Hyuga Aya used her Byakugan to assess Uchiha Kei and confirmed that his fusion rate was close to seventy percent, accelerated by the Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Hyuga Aya said no one had approached, but warned that someone might have sensed the chakra and urged them to leave.
• Uchiha Kei asked Hyuga Aya if she wanted to experience what it felt like to stand at the summit.

Uchiha Kei reported the successful mission in the Land of Fire’s capital, then continued developing his strength and supporting his allies as Konoha negotiated with the Daimyo. The negotiations ended without turning the Daimyo or Hokage into anyone’s puppet, while Kei focused on maintaining independent partners and shared interests.

• Uchiha Kei submitted his mission report to Namikaze Minato, who praised his results and approved recording the operation as an S-Rank Mission.
• Uchiha Kei presented Kazuma’s corpse, and Namikaze Minato asked Nara Shikaku to arrange an examination and handle the negotiations.
• Uchiha Kei returned to Hyuga Aya and used Susanoo to test its speed while she watched their surroundings with her Byakugan.
• Uchiha Kei continued training as his chakra and Dojutsu Power grew, while Hyuga Aya prepared the next stage of her experiments.
• Kakashi returned to Konoha with the Daimyo, and rumors about the mission stirred anger toward the Daimyo among villagers and Ninja.
• Namikaze Minato led negotiations with the Daimyo, while Uchiha Kei stayed silent and accepted that Minato would defend Konoha without reducing the Daimyo to a puppet.

After Konoha’s negotiations with the Daimyo stirred political tensions, Uchiha Kei focused on mastering his power and supporting Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta’s experiments. Kenta declined to risk using Sharingan-derived cells, while Kei concluded that the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka leaders were distancing themselves from him to protect their clans.

• The Daimyo across the surrounding countries reopened talks with their Kage about increasing funding, and Uchiha Kei became a target of their resentment.
• Uchiha Kei studied his changing chakra and Dojutsu Power, practiced the fourth stage of Susanoo, and examined the materials Obito had provided.
• Uchiha Kei found Imai Kenta studying Fuinjutsu to learn Flying Thunder God and asked whether he planned to use Sharingan-derived cells to advance his fusion.
• Imai Kenta refused to experiment with the cells, preferring to continue his gradual progress without risking uncertain side effects.
• Uchiha Kei reviewed Hyuga Aya’s improving fusion experiments and learned that Nara Shikaku, the Akimichi Clan Head, and the Yamanaka Clan Head had begun keeping their distance from him.

Uchiha Kei tested the limits of his Mangekyō abilities in a remote canyon, combining them in a devastating sword strike and then using a time-based technique on himself. He left with his chakra restored and his vision intact, while his right eye remained depleted and Anbu arrived to find the Giant Buddha reduced to sand.

• Uchiha Kei reflected on Konoha's political factions and his growing network of allies, then went to a remote canyon while Hyuga Aya watched for intruders.
• Uchiha Kei used his Mangekyō and Susanoo to combine his three Dojutsu Powers into a sword strike that froze the surroundings and reduced the Giant Buddha to dust.
• Uchiha Kei used his right eye's ability on himself, restoring his chakra and repairing the damage to his left eye while leaving his right eye's Dojutsu Power depleted.
• Uchiha Kei waited until his right eye recovered enough for clear vision, concluded that the technique affected its casting eye, and left the canyon.
• Several Anbu appeared and froze in astonishment when they saw that the Giant Buddha had vanished, leaving only sand.

Uchiha Shisui joined Root and met with the Third Hokage, who promised to train him personally. Shisui left unsettled, determined to protect Konoha but unsure who might threaten its stability.

• The Third and Shisui noticed that the gigantic Buddha statue at their meeting place had vanished, and the Third wondered who had destroyed it.
• Shisui affirmed that he was a Konoha ninja, and the Third welcomed him into Root while relying on Danzo’s Curse Mark to keep him from revealing secrets.
• The Third told Shisui he had chosen him because he was Kagami Uchiha’s descendant and offered to train him personally.
• Shisui walked home, weighing the Third’s offer against what Uchiha Shin had told him about Konoha’s strained relationship with the Uchiha.
• Shisui resolved to protect Konoha’s stability, though he remained unsure who might prove to be a threat.

Uchiha Kei discovered that his left eye could accelerate recovery and chakra-related processes, then used Imai Kenta to test the ability and rapidly increased Kenta’s fusion level. He told Hyuga Aya about ancient records describing a Hyuga with brilliant azure eyes and a chakra mode, leaving her to consider what the Byakugan might become.

• Uchiha Kei accelerated the recovery of his right eye by directing his left eye’s power into it.
• Uchiha Kei accelerated the serum in Imai Kenta’s body, causing Kenta’s fusion level to rise to about fifty-five percent despite severe side effects.
• Hyuga Aya questioned whether Uchiha Kei could precisely control cells, and he explained that his ability could instead accelerate the body’s functions at a high cost.
• Uchiha Kei told Hyuga Aya that scattered records described a Hyuga prodigy who defeated twenty powerful ninja and possessed eyes unlike ordinary Byakugan.
• Uchiha Kei described the prodigy’s brilliant azure eyes, surrounding azure chakra, and command of every chakra nature, suggesting a chakra mode.

Uchiha Kei reflected on his advice to Hyuga Aya and the political changes reshaping Konoha as spring arrived in Konoha Year 49. With Kakashi’s Anbu leadership and Imai Kenta’s possible promotion approaching, Kei anticipated that Kumogakure would bring trouble that year.

• Uchiha Kei tested his chakra on Chakra Paper, displaying five nature transformations, then burned the evidence.
• Uchiha Kei supported Hyuga Aya’s choice between studying chakra natures and unlocking her genes after encouraging her to explore the Byakugan’s potential.
• Namikaze Minato reassured Uchiha Kei about disagreements with the Ino-Shika-Cho, and Kei told him he understood their intentions.
• Namikaze Minato issued a harsh official condemnation of the Daimyo, and the resulting funds helped advance reforms that benefited lower-ranking ninja.
• Uchiha Kei noted that Kakashi had broad support for the Anbu Captain election and that Imai Kenta might soon lead the Mission Department.
• Uchiha Kei realized that Konoha Year 49 could bring calamities and expected a group from Kumogakure to cause trouble.

Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya followed a white snake into the Forest of Death, where Orochimaru asked Kei for help with two Kaguya Clan children. Orochimaru sought to use Kei’s successful work with Kimimaro, and Kei demanded to know what he would receive in return.

• Uchiha Kei advised Namikaze Minato to prepare for war while pursuing diplomacy with Kumogakure, whose military buildup suggested conflict was approaching.
• Hyuga Aya brought Kei important documents, discussed her recovery and chakra training, and walked with him through Konoha.
• Kei and Aya spotted a white snake and followed it into the Forest of Death, where they met Orochimaru and two Kaguya Clan imps.
• Orochimaru revealed that Anbu had noticed a chakra-filled bone left behind by Kimimaro and said the only person who knew about it had died on a mission.
• Orochimaru asked Kei to help with the two imps because Kei had already achieved a successful result with Kimimaro, and Kei asked what he would gain from the deal.

Uchiha Kei negotiated with Orochimaru for access to Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto, offering him Sharingan as payment. They reached the terms of a deal that would also have Orochimaru investigate traces of the Hyuga Clan from a thousand years ago.

• Kei asked Orochimaru what he wanted and what he could offer, and Orochimaru requested Kimimaro’s blood and possibly bone marrow.
• Orochimaru offered Kei Yakushi Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto as assets who could infiltrate Root and provide intelligence.
• Kei recognized the pair and agreed he was interested, but said they were not sufficiently under his control to make the offer worthwhile.
• Kei gave Orochimaru a scroll containing a pair of Double Tomoe Sharingan as payment.
• Kei asked Orochimaru to find traces of the Hyuga Clan from a thousand years ago that Kei’s people had not yet uncovered.