Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Kei and his companions were knocked unconscious when the Giant Tenseigan erupted while he tried to remove Hyuga Aya’s Caged Bird. The surge strengthened Kei and apparently erased Aya’s curse, but it drained the Tenseigan enough to extinguish the moon’s sun; after discussing the incident with Otsutsuki Yosuke, Kei prepared to leave the moon the next day.

• Uchiha Kei woke and discovered that the Tenseigan’s surge had increased his Yin and Yang Release powers and removed Hyuga Aya’s Caged Bird.
• Uchiha Kei found Otsutsuki Yosuke waiting outside and learned that the Tenseigan had consumed so much energy that it cut off its supply to the moon’s sun.
• Uchiha Kei apologized for the disturbance but reminded Otsutsuki Yosuke that the clan still owed him what they had promised.
• Uchiha Kei told Otsutsuki Yosuke that he and his companions would leave the moon the next day.
• Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta woke, and Uchiha Kei suggested that Aya remove her Forehead Protector, telling her she looked prettier without it.

Uchiha Kei returned to Konoha with Orochimaru and two Uzumaki survivors after three months away, then revealed that Hyuga Aya’s Caged Bird curse mark had disappeared. Aya kissed Kei in an emotional outburst, but Imai Kenta interrupted them by creating a wooden house and was met with Aya’s furious attack.

• Uchiha Kei parted ways with Orochimaru near Konoha and brought Uzumaki Xiangcai and Uzumaki Karin back to the village.
• Namikaze Minato welcomed the returned team, learned that Xiangcai and Karin belonged to the Uzumaki Clan, and gave them two days off.
• Imai Kenta left after Hyuga Aya glared at him, and Kei teased Aya about removing her forehead protector.
• Hyuga Aya discovered that her Caged Bird curse marks had vanished and kissed Uchiha Kei in relief and excitement.
• Imai Kenta used Wood Release: Multiple Pillar House to build a wooden house for the pair, and Hyuga Aya rushed at him with Azure Chakra in her hand.

After returning from the moon, Uchiha Kei examined Otsutsuki Masaya’s staff and reflected on the power and risks he had gained there. He then joined Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta in the laboratory, where they discussed how Aya could use the removal of her Caged Bird to influence the Hyuga Clan.

• Uchiha Kei returned to Konoha with Otsutsuki Masaya’s staff from Otsutsuki Yosuke and confirmed its connection to the Tenseigan.
• Uchiha Kei considered his gains from the moon, including his improved Yin-Yang Release control and the mysterious power he had received from Otsutsuki Hamura.
• Iori told Uchiha Kei that Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta were waiting for him in the laboratory.
• Imai Kenta suggested that Aya’s freedom from the Caged Bird could serve as a bargaining chip with Hyuga Hiashi, while Uchiha Kei urged her to learn how Hiashi viewed the seal before revealing it.
• Uchiha Kei reminded Hyuga Aya that the Caged Bird had also protected the clan’s bloodline and Byakugan, then began removing her forehead protector as he offered another idea.

Uchiha Kei proposed replacing the Hyuga Clan’s permanent Caged Bird with a mission-based seal that protected the Byakugan while allowing clan members freedom off duty. After the trio submitted a fantastical account of their moon mission, Namikaze Minato believed Kei’s explanation and prepared to discuss further matters with him.

• Uchiha Kei explained to Hyuga Aya and Imai Kenta how a removable, mission-based Caged Bird could protect the Hyuga bloodline while helping Aya gain support from the Branch Family.
• Hyuga Aya understood the proposal and said she would not let Uchiha Kei down, while Imai Kenta pointed out that Kei might adapt the idea to protect the Sharingan as well.
• Uchiha Kei, Hyuga Aya, and Imai Kenta gave Namikaze Minato a heavily altered mission report claiming they had reached the moon, fought Kaguya-like people, and witnessed the moon explode and restore itself.
• Namikaze Minato burned the report, then asked Uchiha Kei how the moon had been destroyed and examined the tin staff Kei said he had taken from the enemy clan head.
• Namikaze Minato returned the staff, congratulated Uchiha Kei, thanked him on Kushina’s behalf, and said Shikaku and others would soon arrive to discuss additional matters.

Uchiha Kei and his companions attended a meeting where Nara Shikaku briefed them on Konoha’s recent affairs, including rising tensions within the Hyuga Clan and aid requests from three smaller nations. The group supported Namikaze Minato’s plan to assist neighboring countries, and Kei weighed the strategic value of the Land of Tea and the Land of Waves.

• Uchiha Kei’s group waited for Namikaze Minato’s meeting to begin, and Minato did not discuss their mission report.
• Nara Shikaku reported that the Hyuga Clan had split into rival factions aligned with Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Nara Shikaku explained that Konoha planned to aid smaller nations after the moon’s explosion, and Uchiha Kei and the others supported the plan.
• Imai Kenta, Uchiha Fugaku, and the others advised against aiding the Land of Rivers because Sunagakure already had a strong presence there.
• Nara Shikaku named the Land of Tea and the Land of Waves as other nations seeking aid, and Uchiha Kei considered the Land of Tea more valuable while questioning whether to pursue the Land of Waves.

Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta discussed Konoha’s plan for the Land of Waves, while their teasing about Kei’s relationships prompted Hyuga Aya to act on a decision of her own. Aya met with Hyuga Hiashi to discuss the Hyuga Clan and the Caged Bird seal, leaving their serious conversation about to begin.

• Uchiha Kei argued that Konoha should invest in both the Land of Tea and the Land of Waves, and Imai Kenta acknowledged his ambition.
• Imai Kenta teased Uchiha Kei about Uchiha Jun and Hyuga Aya, making Aya decide to speak privately with Hyuga Hiashi.
• Hyuga Aya returned to the Hyuga compound and saw Hyuga Hinata sparring with Hyuga Neji before entering the Clan Head’s residence with Hyuga Hiashi.
• Hyuga Hiashi discussed the strain within the Hyuga Clan and his worries about Hinata, while Aya suggested Hinata could develop a higher level of Gentle Fist.
• Hyuga Aya told Hyuga Hiashi that Uchiha Kei had advised her and that she wanted to discuss important matters with him, including removing her Caged Bird seal.

Hinata and Neji discussed their admiration for Hyuga Ayama, while Ayama revealed to Hyuga Hiashi that Uchiha Kei had removed her Caged Bird. She explained that she and Kei had a plan to gain support for changing the Hyuga Clan, and declared her ambition to become its “Uchiha Kei.”

• Hinata asked Neji to treat her less formally, and they discussed how much they admired Hyuga Ayama’s strength.
• Hyuga Hiashi considered the Caged Bird and wondered whether Ayama intended to ask him to remove it.
• Ayama removed her forehead protector and showed Hiashi that her Caged Bird mark had vanished.
• Ayama confirmed that Uchiha Kei had removed the mark, stunning Hiashi.
• Ayama told Hiashi that she and Kei had a plan to gain support without openly revealing a removal method, and said she wanted to become the Hyuga Clan’s “Uchiha Kei.”

Hyuga Hiashi agreed to support Hyuga Aya’s plan to gain authority in the Hyuga Clan, naming her the clan’s “Uchiha Kei.” Afterwards, Uchiha Kei told Aya that his earlier plans had begun as a way to gain power, but that he now cared more about her and wanted her to understand his feelings.

• Hyuga Aya explained her plan to show Branch Family members that the Caged Bird could be removed, and Hyuga Hiashi weighed the benefits and risks of tying the Hyuga Clan to the Uchiha Clan.
• Hyuga Hiashi asked whether Uchiha Kei had promised Aya a powerful position in Konoha’s government; after she confirmed it, he agreed to cooperate and called her the Hyuga Clan’s “Uchiha Kei.”
• Uchiha Kei took Hyuga Aya to a quiet riverside and told her a story about a boy who helped a trapped girl gain freedom and influence, initially for power but eventually because he cared for her.
• Hyuga Aya asked what the boy wanted besides power, and Uchiha Kei said he desired strength and affection because he was lonely and had let the girl into his heart.

Uchiha Kei returned to the Military Police Force and met Hyuga Ayama, who had decided to pursue her own ambitions after speaking with Hyuga Hiashi. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen monitored Kei and prepared a covert operation, keeping Uchiha Shisui away from it.

• Uchiha Kei left home to resume his duties at the Military Police Force and wondered how Hyuga Ayama had responded to his confession.
• Uchiha Kei met Hyuga Ayama, who said she had told Hyuga Hiashi she wanted to become the Uchiha Kei of the Hyuga Clan.
• Uchiha Kei and Hyuga Ayama agreed to eat breakfast at Ichiraku, and she insisted that he order less spicy food.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen received Uchiha Shisui's report that Kei and several others had met the Fourth Hokage, while Root operatives could not learn what Ayama and Hiashi had discussed.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Nightingale and his tactical squad to stand by, then told Shisui he would not take part in the matter and would instead remain by Hiruzen's side for another task.

Hyuga Aya began her plan to change the Hyuga Clan by addressing its Branch Family, while Uchiha Kei and Konoha leaders watched from a sealed room. She argued that the Caged Bird had become a means of enslavement and claimed its removal method had been lost, leaving the gathered Branch Family members shocked and divided.

• Uchiha Kei accompanied Hyuga Aya to the Hyuga compound and warned her that many people would be watching her.
• Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta joined Namikaze Minato, Nara Shikaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Kakashi in a sealed attic overlooking the gathering.
• Hyuga Aya entered the courtyard and assembled the Branch Family ninja, including Hizashi Hyuga.
• Hyuga Aya told the Branch Family that the Caged Bird had originally protected the clan but had become a tool for enslaving them.
• Hyuga Aya said the method for removing the Caged Bird had likely been lost, prompting an uproar among the gathered ninja.

Hyuga Aya revealed that the Caged Bird could not be removed within the Hyuga Clan, then showed the Branch Family that her own mark was gone and outlined a plan to replace the technique. As the Hyuga considered the proposal, Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared Root and his allies to act against them, declaring that war was coming.

• Hyuga Aya told the Branch Family that the Caged Bird could not be undone through the Hyuga Clan, leaving many members despairing for their children.
• Hizashi Hyuga asked what the Clan Head intended to do, and Hyuga Aya removed her forehead protector to reveal a smooth forehead with no Caged Bird mark.
• Uchiha Kei, Namikaze Minato, and Hiashi Hyuga discussed the plan to relax the Caged Bird restrictions and develop a replacement technique, while the Branch Family reacted with excitement.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen met with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura in Root's base and assessed the growing conflict between the Hyuga Main and Branch Families.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Nightingale to prepare Root's tactical squads and told him to get his family to safety, warning that they all had to be ready to die because it was war.

Hyuga Aya rallied the Branch Family by promising to end the Caged Bird system, while she and Uchiha Kei prepared for the Main Family’s likely retaliation. The elders resolved to confront the rebels and planned to expel Aya or offer her death to the Third Hokage, depending on whether she joined the battle.

• Hyuga Aya’s proposal ignited the Branch Family’s hopes, and Hizashi Hyuga worried that Uchiha Kei might gain influence over the clan while recognizing how much Kei had done for them.
• In Uchiha Kei’s basement, Hyuga Aya explained that she was researching Otsutsuki Toneri’s bloodline and Yin-Yang Release while preparing for conflict within the Hyuga Clan.
• Hyuga Aya said she would postpone her first experiment and handle the Main Family herself, while Uchiha Kei assigned Imai Kenta to back her up and deal with the opponents’ corpses.
• The Hyuga Clan elders debated whether to kill Aya despite Uchiha Kei’s involvement, and the Great Elder said they would expel her if she stayed out of the battle or offer her to the Third Hokage if she died fighting.

Uchiha Kei went to Sarutobi Hiruzen’s home for tea while Hyuga Aya prepared to confront the crisis in the Hyuga Clan. The chapter left Uchiha Kei facing an unexpected visitor and Hyuga Aya ready to question Hyuga Kaoru’s children over Hyuga Hiashi’s suspected poisoning.

• Uchiha Kei accepted Sarutobi Hiruzen’s invitation, reasoning that the old man might be drawing him away as unrest threatened to erupt in the Hyuga Clan.
• Uchiha Kei arrived at the Sarutobi Clan’s territory and entered Sarutobi Hiruzen’s house, where he saw someone who surprised him.
• Hyuga Ayama went to Hyuga Hiashi’s residence and learned from Hizashi Hyuga that the Clan Head had been poisoned and was coughing blood when he used Chakra.
• Hizashi Hyuga identified Hyuga Kaoru as a possible suspect because her seriously ill son could make her vulnerable to coercion, though she was trusted by Hyuga Hiashi’s family.
• Hyuga Ayama ordered Hizashi Hyuga to bring Hyuga Kaoru’s children in for questioning and said Uchiha Kei could erase the woman’s memory if the suspicion proved mistaken.

Uchiha Kei met Sarutobi Hiruzen at the Third’s home, where Hiruzen invited him to talk over tea. Meanwhile, Hyuga Aya disguised herself as Hyuga Hiashi and forced Hyuga Kaoru to reveal her role in poisoning him and her husband’s involvement in a secret organization.

• Sarutobi Asuma escorted Uchiha Kei to meet his father, while refusing to leave with Konohamaru despite Kei warning him of the danger.
• Uchiha Kei drank tea with Sarutobi Hiruzen and questioned why the Third had summoned him.
• Hyuga Aya disguised herself as Hyuga Hiashi and confronted Hyuga Kaoru in front of her son, Hyuga Kiyohiko.
• Hyuga Aya threatened Hyuga Kiyohiko until Hyuga Kaoru confessed that Root had given her a slow-acting poison for Hyuga Hiashi.
• Hyuga Kaoru revealed that her husband, Hyuga Genji, had joined an organization seeking a way to save their child.

Aya Hyuga exposed Kaoru Hyuga as the poisoner, took the poison, and subdued her while Hizashi Hyuga learned the clan’s elders planned to exploit Hiashi Hyuga’s weakened state. Imai Kenta reported that Aya’s family was safe, while Uchiha Kei met with Sarutobi Hiruzen to discuss Danzō and began a game of Go.

• Aya Hyuga revealed her identity to Kaoru Hyuga and demanded the poison, warning that Kaoru and her family would die if the plot failed.
• Kaoru Hyuga handed Aya Hyuga the poison, and Aya knocked Kaoru unconscious while Kiyohiko Hyuga watched in fear.
• Hizashi Hyuga said he would report the betrayal to Hiashi Hyuga, and Aya Hyuga insisted that Kei and Kenta could still act.
• Imai Kenta reported that Aya Hyuga’s family was safe and said the elders planned to attack while Hiashi Hyuga was still recovering, with Root involved.
• Uchiha Kei challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen’s confidence in the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted his responsibility for Danzō’s rise and fall.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen invited Uchiha Kei to play Go, and Uchiha Kei accepted.

Uchiha Kei explained to Sarutobi Hiruzen how his need for control had driven away his students and divided Konoha, while Hiruzen reflected on his failures. As the Hyuga Clan’s confrontation began, Aya treated the wounded Hyuga Hiashi and prepared to deal with the rival faction using her own methods.

• Uchiha Kei used his Sharingan to defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen at shogi, and they compared the game’s deception to their political conflict.
• Uchiha Kei told Sarutobi Hiruzen that his desire for control and his treatment of the Uchiha and other clans had driven Namikaze Minato, Orochimaru, and others away.
• Uchiha Kei explained that Orochimaru had been left unguided and drawn into research that made Konoha feel like a cage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked whether he was Konoha’s most failed Hokage, and Uchiha Kei called him the most pitiful Hokage.
• Hyuga Aya treated Hyuga Hiashi’s wounds and said she would use her own methods to wipe out their opponents.

Hyuga Aya prepared the Hyuga Clan for conflict by moving its women and children to an Anbu warehouse and arranging a deception around Hyuga Hiashi’s apparent poisoning. Meanwhile, Uchiha Kei challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen’s sense of powerlessness, and Hiruzen asked whether Kei was treating Namikaze Minato as a puppet.

• Hyuga Aya told Hyuga Hiashi that they needed to prepare for battle and explained that Hizashi had moved the clan’s women and children to an Anbu warehouse guarded by Anbu and the Military Police Force.
• Hyuga Aya gave Hyuga Hiashi an experimental medicine and used her Byakugan to make him appear fatally poisoned so he could catch their enemies off guard.
• Kisame Hoshigaki reported that he had defeated attackers targeting the women and children and found another group of Anbu among them.
• Imai Kenta told Hyuga Aya that the masks Kei had left behind had helped him draw trouble away from the others.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted that he felt like a puppet after Uchiha Kei questioned whether he could still retreat from the changes he had helped bring about.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Uchiha Kei whether he had ever considered treating Namikaze Minato as a puppet.

Uchiha Kei explained to Sarutobi Hiruzen that he restrained his use of power with rules, then proposed arranging a funeral for him. Meanwhile, the Hyuga Great Elder learned that the Fourth Elder had been killed, while Hyuga Hiashi was poisoned and his allies gathered to respond.

• Uchiha Kei told Sarutobi Hiruzen that he had once pursued power to survive and weaken him, but now used rules to restrain himself.
• Uchiha Kei interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen's request and proposed arranging a funeral for him.
• The Hyuga Great Elder learned that a mysterious, masked attacker had killed the Fourth Elder and considered several possible culprits.
• A masked messenger told the Great Elder that Hyuga Hiashi and his supporters had gathered, and the Great Elder prepared to face them.
• Hyuga Kaoru raised the alarm after finding Hyuga Hiashi poisoned, and a patrol leader sealed off the news and summoned medical help and Hiashi's allies.

Hyuga Hiashi rallied the Branch Family to fight the Main Family and Root after they poisoned him, while Hyuga Aya prepared to confront Great Elder Hyuga Zongxuan. The battle began at the clan training ground, where the Caged Bird weakened the Branch Family, and Aya faced Zongxuan to build her standing within the clan.

• Hyuga Hiashi urged the assembled Branch Family members to fight for their freedom, then led them toward the training ground with Hyuga Aya and Hizashi Hyuga.
• Hyuga Aya told Hyuga Hiashi that she would handle Hyuga Zongxuan while he faced the other elders, and said Uchiha Kei was at the Third's residence with Imai Kenta nearby.
• Hyuga Hiashi accused the elders of poisoning him and expelled them from the clan before the Main Family and Root forces charged the Branch Family.
• The Main Family activated the Caged Bird, causing pain and disrupting the Branch Family's Byakugan, but the two sides fought to a standstill.
• Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga confronted the elders as Hyuga Aya approached Hyuga Zongxuan and declared that his death would give her a hand.

Hyuga Aya battled Hyuga Zongxuan while Hyuga Hiashi used the distraction to attack the elders, and Aya unleashed a powerful Sage Art. As a huge surge of chakra shook the Hyuga compound, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized Uchiha Kei had anticipated the outcome, and Kei suggested they discuss Hiruzen’s funeral.

• Hyuga Zongxuan confronted Hyuga Aya, but she challenged him to a fight and charged when her Forehead Protector hit the ground.
• Hyuga Hiashi took advantage of the elders watching Aya and killed the Second Elder before attacking the others.
• Hyuga Aya and Hyuga Zongxuan exchanged blows, and both recognized the other’s unconventional Gentle Fist techniques.
• Hyuga Aya combined Sage Mode Chakra with Yang Release and attacked Zongxuan with Sage Art: Yang Release: Air Palm, Second Form.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Uchiha Kei about his confidence, then felt a tremendous chakra surge and rumbling from the Hyuga compound.
• Uchiha Kei told Hiruzen that Aya had exceeded expectations and suggested they discuss Hiruzen’s funeral.