Chapter Summaries

Hyuga Aya reflected on how her partnership with Uchiha Kei had changed her feelings and given her hope of escaping the Caged Bird. Meanwhile, Uchiha Kei responded to Uchiha Ryuei killing Kumogakure’s Toroi and prepared to secure Konoha for an incoming Kumogakure delegation, suspecting it had a dangerous agenda.

• Namikaze Minato’s birthday question left Hyuga Aya and Uchiha Kei embarrassed and made Aya confront how close they had become.
• Hyuga Aya recalled how she had killed Hyuga Teru to secure Uchiha Kei’s promise to help her pursue freedom from the Caged Bird, and recognized that their partnership had changed her feelings.
• Uchiha Kei learned that Uchiha Ryuei had killed Kumogakure Jonin Toroi and burned away the evidence, a death that shifted the border conflict and helped bring the fighting to a pause.
• Uchiha Kei suspected Kumogakure planned to use its peace delegation, led by Atsubi, to provoke an incident in Konoha and create an excuse for war.
• Namikaze Minato assigned Uchiha Kei and the Military Police Force to protect the delegation, while Nara Shikaku confirmed that compensation for fallen shinobi had been paid using Kaguya Clan funds.

Uchiha Kei confronted Atsubi when the Kumogakure envoy arrived to negotiate, refusing to accept his provocations or threats. Kei accused Atsubi of undermining the Raikage and ended by questioning whether he truly served Kumogakure.

• Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya waited with the Military Police Force to receive the Kumogakure envoy at Konoha's gates.
• Atsubi addressed Uchiha Ryuei dismissively, and Kei ordered the Kumogakure group to turn back, saying they did not deserve to enter Konoha.
• Atsubi challenged Kei over Konoha's treatment of its guests and threatened that the dispute could lead to war; Aya mocked him as a barking mad dog.
• Kei questioned whether Atsubi spoke for the Raikage and accused him of pushing Kumogakure toward war despite its defeat and its request for negotiations.
• Kei told Atsubi to settle his own political conflict before negotiating and concluded that he was really no Kumogakure Ninja.

Uchiha Kei and Konoha’s leaders became suspicious after Kumogakure’s envoys accepted every treaty demand without resistance. Nara Shikaku and Kei concluded that Kumogakure was shaping its political image while preparing for war, leaving Konoha’s leaders facing the prospect of another conflict.

• Atsubi backed down after Uchiha Kei confronted him and followed Kei and the Military Police Force into Konoha.
• Kumogakure’s envoys accepted Konoha’s treaty terms, including compensation for losses and protection costs, without bargaining.
• Namikaze Minato signed the treaty despite suspecting the envoys’ sudden cooperation concealed a purpose.
• Namikaze Minato gathered Uchiha Kei, Nara Shikaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu to discuss Kumogakure’s behavior, and said he had sent Kakashi to follow the envoys.
• Nara Shikaku concluded that Kumogakure was cultivating a new political image and preparing for war, a conclusion Uchiha Kei confirmed.

Uchiha Kei realized Kumogakure had sent Atsubi and his team to provoke a fatal incident at Hyuga Hinata’s birthday, giving their village an excuse to retaliate. Hyuga Aya intercepted Atsubi at Hinata’s room and struck him as he attempted to stab the child.

• Uchiha Kei connected the timing of Kumogakure’s visit to Hyuga Hinata’s birthday and warned that Atsubi’s team intended to die in Konoha to provoke a conflict.
• The Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato recognized the danger, but the Third Hokage said it was already too late to warn the Hyuga Clan.
• Hyuga Aya sensed three Kumogakure shinobi in the compound and rushed to Hinata’s room to reach Atsubi before Hyuga Hiashi.
• Atsubi held Hinata at knifepoint, while Hyuga Aya deduced that his real goal was to die in Konoha and trigger an attack by his teammates.
• Atsubi thrust his kunai toward Hinata, but Hyuga Aya struck his chest before the blade reached her.

Kumogakure’s envoys provoked a deadly clash in Konoha and used their deaths to demand that Konoha hand over the Military Police Force members involved. Namikaze Minato declared a state of war, while Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya discussed what it meant for shinobi to identify first as Konoha Ninja.

• Uchiha Kawa’s Military Police Force team tried to control the Kumogakure envoys, but the envoys launched a surprise attack and deliberately let themselves be killed.
• Uchiha Kawa reported the massacre, and Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Kei, the Third, and Nara Shikaku discussed the incident and its consequences.
• Namikaze Minato declared that Konoha was entering a state of war, and the village’s leaders and Jonin gathered to hear the situation.
• Nara Shikaku issued a statement about the envoys’ actions, but Kumogakure demanded that Konoha surrender the killers and punish their superiors, threatening harsh measures if it refused.
• Uchiha Kei reassured Hyuga Aya that Uchiha Kawa and the others would not be punished, and Aya confirmed that Hyuga Hiashi had accepted her role in the deaths.
• Hyuga Aya asked Uchiha Kei why he emphasized Jonin and recruited Commoner Ninja, and he argued that everyone should identify simply as a Konoha Ninja.

Uchiha Kei explained to Hyuga Aya how reorganizing Konoha around ninja ranks could break clan divisions and protect the Uchiha from isolation. Meanwhile, Raikage A prepared to lead Kumogakure forces to Konoha to demand justice.

• Hyuga Aya questioned whether Uchiha Kei’s plan to overturn the clan order would truly benefit the Uchiha, and he explained that he was also trying to protect his clan and himself.
• Uchiha Kei asked Hyuga Aya to compare the numbers and resources of Commoner Ninja and clan Ninja, leading her to realize that his plan could rally Konoha’s lower ranks and encourage divisions within the clans.
• Uchiha Kei explained that uniting people as Konoha Ninja and organizing them by rank could break down clan barriers and prevent the Third from isolating the Uchiha.
• Raikage A and Killer B addressed more than eight thousand assembled Kumogakure Ninja as Raikage A prepared to lead them to Konoha.
• Raikage A declared that they would demand justice from Konoha, and then ordered the troops to march.

Kumogakure prepared to invade the Land of Fire, prompting Namikaze Minato to organize Konoha’s defenses and assign forces to the front. The chapter left Uchiha Kei in charge of village security as the leaders discussed how to face the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Nara Shikaku reported that Kumogakure’s Raikage was leading an invasion force accompanied by the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Nara Shikaku told Namikaze Minato that Konoha could mobilize 13,000 combat ninja from the village, though many had to remain on defensive or administrative duties.
• Namikaze Minato assigned Uchiha Fugaku and Sarutobi Hiruzen 2,000 ninja each to reinforce the front and target enemy supply lines.
• Uchiha Kei agreed to lead the reserve force and remain in Konoha, and Namikaze Minato approved expanding the Military Police Force after the war.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked whether Uzumaki Kushina was ready to fight the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Fugaku said they could handle the threat.

Konoha mobilized for war against Kumogakure, and Uchiha Kei stayed behind to manage the Military Police Force while Uchiha Fugaku led the vanguard toward the Land of Hot Water. Fugaku reached a supply outpost just as Kumogakure Ninja attacked it.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku led four thousand Ninja from Konoha toward the front lines as villagers and remaining Ninja saw them off.
• Uchiha Kei appointed Fukuhisa Kouta and Uchiha Asahi as temporary squad leaders in the Military Police Force.
• Uchiha Fugaku led two thousand Ninja toward a Konoha supply outpost near the Land of Hot Water, with Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryuei among his troops.
• Fugaku's force arrived at the outpost and encountered Kumogakure Ninja attacking it.

Uchiha Fugaku led an exhausted Konoha force to save an outpost, where he annihilated a Kumogakure surprise force with a massive Fire Style attack and restored his troops’ morale. The Fourth Raikage ordered a dawn raid to test Konoha’s strength, while Fugaku prepared to move on with his division.

• Uchiha Fugaku took Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryuei to confront the Kumogakure shinobi attacking the outpost, while the exhausted main force stayed behind.
• Uchiha Fugaku used his Mangekyō Sharingan to immobilize roughly sixty Kumogakure shinobi, then burned them with Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
• Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryuei joined the outpost’s defenders to finish off the remaining attackers, and Fugaku’s display lifted the Konoha troops’ morale.
• The Fourth Raikage learned that Uchiha Fugaku had destroyed the surprise force and ordered a thousand shinobi to raid Konoha’s base at dawn.
• Uchiha Fugaku learned from Hiraga Genta that the outpost’s Captain and vice-Captain had been killed, then said another unit would arrive and identified himself as commander of the First Division.

Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the front lines to face Kumogakure’s vastly larger force, while Uchiha Kei organized Konoha’s defenses and led a raid on a suspected enemy intelligence station. Kei and his team stormed the hideout, where screams sounded from inside.

• Uchiha Fugaku took command of the front-line forces and accepted a Nara clan member as his deputy.
• Uchiha Fugaku rested with a Flying Thunder God-marked kunai that could let Namikaze Minato extract him or bring Uchiha Kei to the battlefield.
• Uchiha Kei reorganized the understaffed Military Police Force and hired young Genin to help in Konoha.
• Uchiha Kei led Kakashi, Anbu, and Root to a hidden Kumogakure intelligence station identified through surveillance and mission patterns.
• Uchiha Kei used his Sharingan to spot chakra-linked traps, kicked open the station’s door, and rushed inside as screams rang out.

Uchiha Fugaku led Konoha’s defense against a Kumogakure surprise attack headed by the Fourth Raikage, while Uchiha Kei and Kakashi uncovered a spy network and a plan to cause trouble in Konoha. A captured spy revealed the plot before a seal killed him, leaving Kei and Kakashi with warning enough to prepare.

• Uchiha Fugaku and Nara Kyohei organized Konoha’s forces when about a thousand Kumogakure Ninja attacked through the morning fog.
• A Hyuga Ninja reported that the Fourth Raikage was leading the assault, and Uchiha Fugaku left Nara Kyohei in command while he went to intercept him.
• Uchiha Kei and Kakashi raided a Wooden House, killed the Kumogakure spies there, and seized documents detailing Konoha’s deployments.
• Uchiha Kei used Genjutsu to interrogate the captured spy, who revealed that Kumogakure planned to send a squad into Konoha to cause trouble and keep the Hokage from reaching the front.
• A seal activated and destroyed the spy’s brain, but Kakashi and Uchiha Kei concluded that the recovered information was enough to thwart the plot.

Uchiha Fugaku faced the Fourth Raikage in a battle at Konoha Camp, struggling to pierce the Raikage’s formidable defenses. As the Raikage charged through Fugaku’s earth walls with Lightning Style Armor, Fugaku manifested Susanoo and caught his attacking arm.

• The Fourth Raikage challenged Uchiha Fugaku, and they exchanged accusations over the envoy’s death.
• The Fourth Raikage’s speed and strength overwhelmed Fugaku’s attacks, shrugging off his Genjutsu-assisted kunai strike.
• Nara Kyohei noticed the leaders’ clash and sent Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Liuying away after whispering instructions.
• The Fourth Raikage activated Lightning Style: Chakra Mode and charged Fugaku with Lightning Style: Lariat.
• Fugaku raised a series of earth walls, then manifested Susanoo, whose skeletal arm seized the Fourth Raikage’s right hand.

Uchiha Fugaku defeated the Fourth Raikage’s raid by enduring his attacks and burning his right arm with the Flames of Amaterasu, forcing Kumogakure to retreat. The Fourth Raikage recovered at camp, considered how to counter Fugaku, and prepared to wear down Konoha while hinting that he had made plans for Namikaze Minato.

• The Fourth Raikage slammed Uchiha Fugaku’s Susanoo into the ground with Liger Bomb, but Fugaku survived and expanded Susanoo into a towering giant.
• The Fourth Raikage attacked Fugaku at high speed, and Fugaku covered Susanoo in Amaterasu flames before the Raikage’s punch cracked it and burned his right arm.
• The Fourth Raikage severed his burning arm and ordered Kumogakure to retreat, while Nara Kyohei sent Uchiha Ryuei and Uchiha Kawa to intercept them.
• Uchiha Fugaku ordered Nara Kyohei to count casualties, report losses to Konoha, and strengthen the camp’s defenses.
• The Fourth Raikage learned that only seven hundred of his men had returned, then resolved to wear down Konoha and hinted that he had prepared a plan for Namikaze Minato.

Dodai changed Kumogakure's infiltration route to avoid exposing their undercover agent, Wolf, while Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Aya watched for intruders near Konoha. The chapter ended as Kei spotted a small white snake at the base of their tree, unnoticed by the Military Police Force.

• Dodai led his Kumogakure team toward Konoha instead of rendezvousing with Wolf, explaining that he had changed the plan with the Raikage's approval to protect their agent and the team.
• Dodai warned his men that Konoha might know about Wolf and could be watching to see whether Kumogakure operatives approached him.
• Uchiha Kei and Kakashi followed Minato's orders to intercept the infiltrators and strengthen Konoha's defenses.
• Kei and Hyuga Aya discussed the possibility that the Kumogakure team might never visit its planned hideout, while Kakashi and the Anbu searched the perimeter.
• Kei noticed a small white snake at the base of the tree, although the nearby Military Police Force had not seen it.

Uchiha Kei met Orochimaru, demonstrated his Mangekyō power, and learned that a Kumogakure force was approaching Konoha. As Kei’s team moved to intercept them, he exposed Dodai’s disguise and revealed that Konoha’s intelligence network had uncovered the group’s infiltration.

• Uchiha Kei asked Orochimaru for information about the ancient Hyuga ancestors, and Orochimaru reported seeing Kumogakure Ninja heading toward Konoha.
• Orochimaru offered to share the full details in exchange for learning the limits of Uchiha Kei’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Uchiha Kei manifested a towering black Susanoo-like giant to show Orochimaru his power, then returned to his team and told Hyuga Aya about their meeting.
• Dodai led the Kumogakure Ninja to the Valley of the End, where Uchiha Kei confronted them as they headed toward Konoha.
• Uchiha Kei identified the disguised Yamazan Taiyuan as Dodai and challenged him for distrusting a sleeper agent and underestimating Konoha’s intelligence network.

Uchiha Kei ambushed Dodai and the Kumogakure shinobi in a snowy valley, killing five of them with ease. The eight survivors activated Lightning Style: Chakra Mode and prepared to fight, while Kei made clear he would let none of them escape.

• Orochimaru’s information led Uchiha Kei to intercept Dodai’s Kumogakure team, with the Military Police Force surrounding the valley.
• Kei killed two Kumogakure shinobi in seconds, then blocked three attackers with his Susanoo skeleton.
• Dodai used Lava Release to trap Kei’s sword and shield a subordinate, but Kei crushed the rubber sphere and killed the trapped shinobi.
• The eight remaining Kumogakure shinobi urged Dodai to retreat, then activated Lightning Style: Chakra Mode and charged Kei.
• Kei dismissed their threat and declared that none of them would escape.

Uchiha Kei reported that he had defeated a Kumogakure team and captured its commander, Dodai, then discussed Orochimaru’s role and future with Namikaze Minato. Minato decided Kei should maintain contact with Orochimaru and gave him a mission to keep the rogue ninja under watch.

• Uchiha Kei defeated thirteen Kumogakure ninjas, killed eleven, and captured Dodai while Hyuga Aya and the Military Police Force secured the scene.
• Uchiha Kei returned to Konoha with the Military Police Force and ordered Dodai kept under guard for interrogation.
• Uchiha Kei told Namikaze Minato that Orochimaru had provided intelligence about the Kumogakure team in exchange for information about Jiraiya’s whereabouts.
• Uchiha Kei identified the captured commander as Dodai, and Namikaze Minato arranged for him to be sent to the Interrogation Division.
• Uchiha Kei and Namikaze Minato agreed that Orochimaru should remain apart from Konoha, and Minato tasked Kei with maintaining contact and monitoring him.

Uchiha Kei and Namikaze Minato discussed Konoha’s war plans as Uchiha Fugaku’s victory over the Raikage lifted morale and the Third searched for Kumogakure’s supply lines. After a month of stalemate, the Fourth Raikage ordered reinforcements to hunt for the Third’s hidden unit and considered a joint attack with Killer B.

• Namikaze Minato told Uchiha Kei that Uchiha Fugaku had defeated a Kumogakure raid and taken the Fourth Raikage’s right hand.
• Namikaze Minato showed Uchiha Kei that the Third had entered the Land of Hot Water with a discreet unit tasked with finding Kumogakure’s supply lines.
• Konoha and Kumogakure fought for a month in frequent small clashes, while a major battle over a strategic area ended with both sides abandoning it.
• The Fourth Raikage ordered arriving reinforcements to search for the Third’s hidden unit and asked about Dodai, who had not reported in for a month.
• Killer B proposed attacking alongside the Fourth Raikage, who rejected the plan at first but then appeared to reconsider it.

The Fourth Raikage committed Kumogakure to a direct assault on Konoha, while Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to decide how to respond without exposing his hidden force. Uchiha Fugaku met the Raikage at the border, and the two armies clashed as Hiruzen prepared a plan of his own.

• The Fourth Raikage rejected Killer B's suggestion to join the front-line attack and ordered him to remain in camp, ready to reinforce the flank or respond to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that the Fourth Raikage and Killer B were advancing with a large force, but he had not yet found Kumogakure's supply routes.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen studied the map, realized how he could respond to Kumogakure's attack, and gave orders to gather his troops.
• Uchiha Fugaku assembled Konoha's forces and faced the Fourth Raikage at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
• Uchiha Fugaku opened with Majestic Destroyer Flame, the Fourth Raikage split the fire with Lightning Oppression Horizontal Dance, and both armies charged into battle.

Uchiha Fugaku and the Fourth Raikage resumed their battle, and the Raikage revealed he could survive and cut through Amaterasu’s flames. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen led a thousand Konoha Ninja toward the Kumogakure camp and explained to the squad leaders that his ambush plan depended on a nearby dam.

• Uchiha Fugaku and the Fourth Raikage traded attacks while Konoha and Kumogakure forces clashed across the battlefield.
• Uchiha Fugaku summoned Susanoo and struck the Fourth Raikage with Amaterasu, but the Raikage endured the flames and cut them apart.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen led a thousand Ninja toward the Kumogakure camp, prompting a Sarutobi Jonin to ask about the risky mission.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Nara Lukang and his men were waiting at a dam southwest of the camp, and that the squad leaders needed to coordinate when he ordered a retreat.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told the Sarutobi Jonin to discreetly brief the squad leaders while keeping the plan from the rank-and-file Ninja.