Chapter Summaries

Pain and Konan tested Kou’s loyalty and confirmed that he was closely aligned with Madara, leaving Nagato wary of both men. Pain planned to send the Animal Path to observe Kou near Mist Village and use an old acquaintance to test his strength.

• Kou concealed his suspicion of Pain’s attempt to probe his relationship with Madara and ended the meeting without revealing his thoughts.
• Pain and Konan discussed how Kou’s closeness to Madara made him a potential threat, despite their sense that he was a good person.
• Pain told Konan that he would send the Animal Path to Mist Harbor in three days to observe Kou, not attack him.
• Pain revealed that an old acquaintance gathering intelligence near Mist Village would be used to test Kou’s strength, and Konan realized whom he meant.

Kou sealed the cave where Karin slept, then raced toward the Mist Village with his self-developed Lightning Release: Swift Thunder. As memories of the Third Raikage’s massacre resurfaced, Kou confronted the fear and insecurity he had carried since witnessing the battlefield.

• Kou dispelled the crow carrying the Byakugan and checked that Karin was asleep before leaving the cave.
• Kou resealed and concealed the cave entrance, then used Lightning Release: Swift Thunder to speed toward the Mist Village.
• While racing through the night, Kou recalled watching the Third Raikage slaughter Iwagakure Ninja during the Third Ninja World War.
• Kou remembered how the massacre had made him imagine himself dying like the helpless ninja and had driven him to want to run away.

Kou returned to the Mist Village after testing his self-created A-rank Lightning Release: Swift Thunder, then found himself caught with a magazine when Obito arrived. The magazine belonged to Mei Terumi, and Kou was left facing an embarrassing misunderstanding.

• Kou recalled awakening his Three Tomoe Sharingan on the battlefield and developing Swift Thunder from what he had observed of the Third Raikage’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
• Kou raced fifty kilometers back to the Mist Village in seven seconds and calculated that his speed was still slightly below the Fourth Raikage’s full-power charge.
• Obito arrived at Kou’s home through a space-time distortion and saw the magazine Kou was pretending to read.
• Kou discovered the cover showed a collection featuring girls aged twelve to sixteen and protested that he had not bought it.
• Mei Terumi realized one of her magazines was missing and guessed she had left it at Sora’s home.
• Kou met Obito’s knowing gaze and silently feared the magazine had caused him social ruin.

Kou and Obito recalled their childhood friendship before Obito left without saying what he had wanted to say. The next day, Mei Terumi handed Kou a leave request, threatening to disrupt his plans for the Mist Village.

• Kou and Obito traded teasing remarks until Kou accidentally brought up Obito's old feelings for Rin, silencing them both.
• Obito remembered his childhood with Kou in Konoha and quietly accepted that Kou had remained the same while he had changed.
• Obito dismissed Nagato as a puppet of Madara and left after Kou asked him to help watch over the Mist Village.
• Kou planned to keep Mei Terumi busy while he arranged his mission and investigated the Uzumaki ruins.
• The next day, Mei Terumi gave Kou a leave request, and he worried that it was no coincidence.

Kou confronted Mei Terumi after learning she had secretly hired Akatsuki to explore the Uzumaki Clan ruins. Mei explained why she trusted the rogue shinobi Uchiha Kou, and Kou then pressed her about paying for the mission herself.

• Kou questioned Mei Terumi about hiring Akatsuki before reporting the Uzumaki Clan ruins mission to him.
• Mei said Kirigakure's intelligence division knew of Akatsuki and that her past encounter with Uchiha Kou had first left her with a deeply negative impression of him.
• Mei recalled that Uchiha Kou had recovered the remains and belongings of fallen comrades and completed rogue missions without harming civilians, leading her to trust him with the mission.
• Kou accepted Mei's reasoning and observed that Akatsuki was seeking high-paying work and was unlikely to harm a client.
• Kou asked whether Mei Terumi had paid for the mission with her own money, and she silently nodded.

Kou approved Mei Terumi’s mission and sent her off with precautions, hiding his true intentions behind heartfelt encouragement. Once alone, he looked forward to exploring a Warring States-era Uzumaki Clan ruin near Mist Harbor, feeling newly secure in his strength.

• Mei Terumi urged Kou to let her take the mission, arguing that risk was necessary to help the Mist Village.
• Kou agreed and delivered an impassioned speech praising Mei Terumi as a hero, moving her to tears.
• Mei Terumi said she had prepared for the mission, and Kou warned her to leave if she encountered trouble and promised to protect the Mist Village while she was away.
• Mei Terumi bowed to Kou and left, while Kou dropped his warm facade once she was gone.
• Kou reflected on the overlapping plans and anticipated exploring the Uzumaki Clan ruin near Mist Harbor, calling it archaeology rather than grave robbing.

Mei Terumi waited at Mist Harbor to meet Uchiha Kou for an important mission, but his lateness, casual outfit, and shameless teasing provoked her. Kou finally pretended to recognize her, ending their reunion with Mei poised to attack him.

• Mei Terumi waited at Mist Harbor and worried that the late contractor might be unreliable.
• Uchiha Kou appeared beside Mei without being detected, startling her and showing off his vacation-like outfit.
• Mei confronted Kou about being late, and he claimed he had gotten lost in life before denying that he had been eating.
• Kou called Mei a beautiful stranger and mocked the idea that she was the Mei Terumi he remembered.
• Mei identified herself and threatened to kill Kou for insulting her and the Mist Village.
• Kou suddenly exclaimed that he recognized Mei, leaving her frozen with a Hand Seal as their reunion ended.

Uchiha Kou and Mei Terumi met at a busy harbor restaurant to discuss a job, but Kou warned that Mei's behavior could attract thieves and other criminals. He explained that ordinary people in the restaurant might target anyone who appeared to be conducting business, and Mei was left considering his warning.

• Kou ate three bowls of seafood ramen and praised the restaurant while Mei Terumi watched in disbelief.
• Mei reminded Kou that they had come to discuss the job, and Kou agreed before warning her to act like an ordinary tourist.
• Kou tricked Mei into searching the restaurant for a hidden threat, then explained that he meant ordinary criminals rather than a powerful ninja.
• Kou told Mei that criminals watched customers to identify potential victims and that sitting without eating could make them look like easy targets.

Kou’s remarks about Konoha’s education and Mist Village’s brutal, low-paid missions made Mei Terumi confront the village’s dependence on gray-area work and the dilemma of changing its bloody system. She renewed her resolve to work with Shiina Sora to give Mist Village’s children more choices, while Kou silently watched her.

• Kou warned Mei Terumi that dealing with the would-be robbers could jeopardize their covert mission and contrasted Konoha’s education with Mist Village’s training.
• Mei Terumi reflected on how Mist Village’s mission economy and survival-of-the-fittest education had led to the Village of the Bloody Mist.
• Mei Terumi wondered how the village could abandon its reliance on gray-area missions and still compete for contracts.
• Mei Terumi put her faith in Shiina Sora and resolved to work with him so Mist Village’s children could choose their own paths.
• Kou watched Mei Terumi in silence as the restaurant’s noise and the steam between them filled the pause.

At a restaurant in Mist Harbor, Mei Terumi and Uchiha Kou joked over ramen before discussing their mission. Mei revealed their destination was the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, once destroyed in a secret attack involving the Mist Village.

• Mei Terumi started to thank Uchiha Kou for his mission reminder, but Kou ordered more ramen and charged it to her tab.
• Kou admitted he had hoped Mei would say she could not eat two bowls, and she angrily called him a bastard.
• Mei Terumi enjoyed the ramen and said she wanted to bring Sora there after the mission.
• Mei Terumi shifted the conversation to the mission and explained they would leave the Land of Water for an island southwest of it.
• Mei Terumi revealed their destination was the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools and watched Uchiha Kou's reaction because of Konoha's past alliance with the country.

Mei Terumi and Kou prepared to travel to the Land of Whirlpools, while Mei kept the mission’s purpose secret. Their departure was interrupted when Jiraiya appeared at the restaurant and recognized Kou.

• Kou questioned why the Mist Village was going to the ruined Land of Whirlpools, and Mei admitted the mission was not to find an Uzumaki Clan member.
• Mei refused to reveal the mission’s details until they reached the ruins and explained why she believed Kou would not betray her.
• Kou and Mei traded barbs before Mei hurried them out, worried they would miss something important.
• Jiraiya entered the restaurant drunk, but quickly became alert when he noticed Kou.
• Jiraiya recognized Kou and called his name, leaving Kou wary of the unexpected encounter.

Thirteen years earlier, Jiraiya met Uchiha Kou after Minato credited the boy with helping him solve a problem in his new jutsu. In the present, Jiraiya remembered their first meeting and greeted the grown Kou, who responded cautiously.

• Jiraiya learned from Minato that Kou had inspired the double-helix theory for developing a jutsu without hand signs.
• Kou modestly explained that an anecdote about twisting his neighbor's cowlicks into horns had sparked Minato's idea.
• Minato asked Jiraiya to help Kou join the jutsu research, and Jiraiya agreed after Kou offered him a magazine.
• Jiraiya realized Kou and Minato had maneuvered him into agreeing to speak with the Hokage and the Uchiha Clan.
• Jiraiya returned from his memory and remarked on how much Kou had grown, while Kou greeted him as Lord Jiraiya with a grave, wary expression.

Uchiha Kou confronted Jiraiya over refusing to acknowledge him as a student and ignoring his urgent letters seven years earlier. Kou recalled how Jiraiya’s absence left Konoha vulnerable during the Nine-Tails Incident, and the chapter ended with his memories of watching the disaster unfold helplessly.

• Jiraiya recognized Kou and bitterly recalled that Kou used to call him Teacher Jiraiya, while Mei Terumi realized they had a teacher-student connection.
• Kou accused Jiraiya of distancing himself because Kou was an important Uchiha, and Jiraiya fell silent under the accusation.
• Kou reminded Jiraiya that he had sent urgent letters asking him to return before the Nine-Tails Incident, but Jiraiya had never come back.
• Kou remembered how he had hoped Jiraiya’s return could prevent the disaster, save Minato, and perhaps keep Obito from turning against Konoha.
• Kou recalled learning that Jiraiya had received his letters but still did not respond, then watching the Nine-Tails ravage Konoha while he was powerless to help.

Uchiha Kou and Mei Terumi encountered Jiraiya, prompting Kou to arrange a private conversation while Mei weighed the diplomatic risks. Mei decided to trust Kou and agreed to let him speak with Jiraiya alone.

• Kou briefly lost his composure at seeing Jiraiya, then hid his reaction behind his usual carefree act.
• Kou asked Jiraiya to talk privately and told Mei to wait at the port, giving her a plan to follow if he did not return within half an hour.
• Mei rejected the idea of confronting Jiraiya together because their poor coordination and her official status could expose her secret mission and cause a diplomatic crisis.
• Kou assured Mei that he was strong enough to handle Jiraiya without creating a major disturbance.
• Jiraiya asked whether Mei objected to his private conversation with Kou, and Mei agreed.

Kou encountered Jiraiya in Mist Harbor and suspected the Akatsuki was using their meeting to mislead him. Jiraiya asked Kou to return to Konoha, then revealed his plan to investigate the Uchiha Clan Massacre and become the Fifth Hokage.

• Kou walked through Mist Harbor with Jiraiya and suspected Nagato was secretly watching them and using their encounter to distract Jiraiya.
• Kou reflected on his strained history with Jiraiya and wondered whether their relationship had ever been as close as he believed.
• Jiraiya asked Kou to reconsider and return to Konoha, surprising him.
• Kou challenged Jiraiya over Konoha's role in the Uchiha Clan Massacre and accused him of asking a rogue ninja to return to a village that had betrayed the Uchiha.
• Jiraiya admitted that someone in Konoha's High Command had deliberately caused the massacre and said he would investigate the truth and bring the mastermind to justice.
• Jiraiya asked Kou to trust him and declared that he would return to Konoha as its Fifth Hokage.

Jiraiya confessed his regrets and asked Kou to return to Konoha with him so he could become Fifth Hokage and change the village. Kou respected Jiraiya’s resolve but refused to return.

• Kou was shocked when Jiraiya said he intended to return to Konoha, investigate the Uchiha Clan Massacre, confront the village’s higher-ups, and become Fifth Hokage.
• Jiraiya reflected on his failures involving Tsunade, Orochimaru, his former students, and Kou, and admitted that he had relied too heavily on the Child of Prophecy instead of acting in the present.
• Jiraiya asked Kou to come with him and help build a better future by changing Konoha.
• Kou told Jiraiya he respected the change he had made but refused to return to Konoha.

Kou told Jiraiya that Naruto had been mistreated in Konoha after villagers learned he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and blamed Danzo for exposing the secret. Jiraiya vowed to face Konoha’s problems, then asked whether Kou had joined Akatsuki and could promise never to become Konoha’s enemy; Kou’s silence left the question unanswered.

• Kou explained that he would not return to Konoha after five years away and told Jiraiya that Naruto had not been treated well there.
• Kou described how Naruto’s Nine-Tails power had gone berserk when he was two, how rumors spread, and how he had secretly helped care for the boy.
• Jiraiya realized Danzo had exposed Naruto’s identity and grew furious, while Kou argued that the Third Hokage could no longer control Danzo or Konoha’s decline.
• Jiraiya thanked Kou and vowed to address Naruto’s situation, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and Konoha’s corruption rather than run away.
• Jiraiya asked whether Kou had joined Akatsuki and whether he could guarantee he would never become Konoha’s enemy, but Kou stayed silent.

Kou challenged Jiraiya and led him to a remote mountain for a fight, confident that his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan made him strong enough to face his former teacher. As Jiraiya approached, Kou prepared to fight while a pair of mysterious purple eyes watched from behind him.

• Kou rejected Jiraiya’s attempt to persuade him and recognized that Jiraiya planned to take him back to Konoha by force.
• Kou declared that Jiraiya was the one challenging him, then used Swift Thunder to race away from the harbor.
• Jiraiya recognized Kou’s speed, realized how much stronger he had become, and pursued him toward a remote mountain.
• Kou waited on the mountain summit with two swords and prepared his chakra as Jiraiya approached.
• Kou noticed a pair of pupil-less purple eyes watching them from behind him.

Uchiha Kou and Jiraiya tested each other’s skills in a mountaintop clearing, with Kou’s Sharingan exposing Jiraiya’s ambush. Jiraiya recognized how much Kou had developed and concluded that Kou’s combat abilities relied on his Sharingan because he otherwise had ordinary talent.

• Jiraiya arrived in the clearing, pretending to be exhausted while secretly making an Earth Release hand seal.
• Kou noticed Jiraiya’s deception and attacked with a powerful, multi-directional Fire and Wind Release sword technique.
• Jiraiya blocked the attack with Earth-Style Walls, used an earth clone, and burrowed underground to ambush Kou.
• Kou used the Body Flicker Technique to avoid Jiraiya’s surprise attack and revealed that his Sharingan had seen through the trick.
• Jiraiya assessed Kou’s Sharingan and reflected that Kou was an ordinary person whose combat abilities had been built on his eyes.

Minato worried that Kou would eventually be crushed by the Uchiha Clan’s expectations, but Jiraiya explained that the clan called Kou a genius because he used its legacy and hard work to overcome his ordinary talent. On the mountain, Kou continued fighting Jiraiya, reading the incoming attack with his Sharingan as Jiraiya’s chakra-reinforced hair blocked his flaming sword.

• Obito defended Kou’s talent when Kakashi said Kou lacked teaching ability, and Rin tried to stop their argument.
• Minato and Jiraiya watched the youngsters; Minato said Kou was probably training in the Uchiha Clan’s library and withheld that Kou’s teammates had died on their last mission.
• Minato worried that Kou would reach the limits of his talent, but Jiraiya said Kou understood himself and had chosen to grow through the Uchiha Clan’s accumulated knowledge.
• Jiraiya explained that the Uchiha Clan recognized Kou as its genius because he used its legacy to become an outstanding talent through hard work.
• Kou attacked Jiraiya with a flame-wreathed sword, but Jiraiya stopped the blade with his chakra-reinforced hair and tried to ensnare him.
• Kou used his Three Tomoe Sharingan to perceive the paths and traps of Jiraiya’s advancing hair.