Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Qingfeng came home to find his friends crowding the pharmacy, while Danzō plotted to kill him and Uchiha Itachi to isolate the Uchiha from the Fourth Hokage. Qingfeng encouraged Inuzuka Hana to pursue early graduation by giving her his Ninja Academy textbooks.

• Yamato reported Qingfeng’s activities to Danzō, who planned with Orochimaru to kill Qingfeng and Itachi and weaken the Uchiha Clan.
• Qingfeng returned to the pharmacy, where Uchiha Itachi and the four girls questioned him about his training and his day with Minato.
• Itachi left with Uchiha Izumi, while Qingfeng told Inuzuka Hana and the others to go home and keep up with their studies.
• Hana demonstrated that she had mastered the Clone Jutsu and asked Qingfeng whether she could graduate early.
• Qingfeng gave Hana his stack of Ninja Academy textbooks and told her to study them to qualify for early graduation.

Uchiha Qingfeng claimed the System’s Rending Heart Blade and continued routine missions with Yamato and Uchiha Itachi while waiting for harder work. Kakashi brought Jiriku of the Temple of Fire to meet the Hokage, where Jiriku raised the daimyo’s proposal to form an exclusive guard force.

• Uchiha Qingfeng opened his cumulative sign-in reward and received the Rending Heart Blade, a low-level weapon that doubled its damage when he held a girl.
• Uchiha Qingfeng dismissed the System’s invitation to make another ten-pull and went to his morning mission.
• Yamato turned in the group’s cat-catching mission as he increasingly doubted Elder Danzō’s claims about Uchiha Qingfeng and Uchiha Itachi.
• Kakashi searched the road outside Leaf Village, found Jiriku, and escorted him to meet the Hokage.
• Jiriku told the Hokage that the daimyo considered the Land of Fire unsafe and wanted to establish an exclusive guard force.

Asuma Sarutobi seized the chance to leave Leaf Village by volunteering to become the daimyo’s personal guard, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to send him with Jiriku. Jiriku also hired Leaf Village to eliminate bandits near the Temple of Fire, and Asuma was set to depart for Daimyo’s Mansion the next morning.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Jiriku that Leaf Village had not yet chosen a candidate for the daimyo’s guard, and Jiriku proposed Kakashi.
• Asuma Sarutobi overheard their discussion, rushed into the Hokage Office, and volunteered to serve as the daimyo’s guard instead of Kakashi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi introduced Asuma to Jiriku and agreed to send him, while asking him to say goodbye to his friends before leaving the next day.
• Jiriku asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to assign a mission to clear bandits near the Temple of Fire, and Hiruzen ranked it B-class with a 150,000 ryo reward.
• Jiriku paid the mission fee and said he would meet Asuma at the Hokage Building early the next morning before leaving for Daimyo’s Mansion.

Jiriku found Uchiha Qingfeng at Ichiraku Ramen after arriving in Leaf Village to search for the man he knew as the Veterinarian. After Qingfeng tried to deny knowing him, Jiriku revealed that he had visited the Hokage Office and threatened to tell the Hokage what happened between them.

• Jiriku arrived in Leaf Village and searched for the man nicknamed the Veterinarian.
• Qingfeng ate ramen at Ichiraku while Jiriku entered the shop and sat beside him.
• Jiriku recognized Qingfeng, but Qingfeng pretended not to know him.
• Jiriku paid for both their meals, then followed Qingfeng out of the shop.
• Jiriku stopped Qingfeng by saying he had come from the Hokage Office and threatened to reveal their past encounter.

Jiriku visited Qingfeng to ask about his identity, accepted his explanation, and revealed his mission to join the Daimyo’s Guard. Qingfeng reluctantly agreed to show him around Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi watched them and ordered Kakashi to retrieve Minato’s team mission records.

• Jiriku questioned Qingfeng about his identity, and Qingfeng claimed he was a native Uchiha who had invented his previous identity to earn money.
• Jiriku said he would keep Qingfeng’s identity secret and explained that he had come to Konoha to join the Daimyo’s Guard with a chosen candidate.
• Qingfeng warned Jiriku to protect the Daimyo and declined to join the guard, then tried to send Jiriku off.
• Jiriku followed Qingfeng, who used a Shadow Clone to notify his teammates that he would miss training and then showed Jiriku around Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi spotted Qingfeng and Jiriku buying dumplings with his Scrying Jutsu and ordered Kakashi to bring him Minato’s team mission records.

Qingfeng spent the day with Jiriku, who kept seeking his company for roast rabbit, before bringing the monk back to the Pharmacy. Jiriku met Qingfeng’s friends and panicked when Anko tried to touch his bald head.

• Qingfeng caught, cleaned, and roasted rabbits for Jiriku, then told him to return to his duties as the daimyo’s guard.
• Jiriku followed Qingfeng to the Pharmacy, where Anko, Yamato, Itachi, and others questioned Qingfeng about his afternoon.
• Qingfeng introduced Jiriku as a guest from the Temple of Fire who had business in Leaf Village.
• Jiriku quietly assessed Qingfeng’s friends and wondered why the four girls were not wearing Leaf Village Headbands.
• Anko reached to touch Jiriku’s bald head, and he jumped back, warning her that men and women should not touch.

Qingfeng dealt with Jiriku fleeing after the girls touched his bald head, then found him a place to stay. Meanwhile, the girls showed off their Clone Jutsu and revealed they had applied for early graduation.

• The four girls took turns touching Jiriku's head, and he ran from the Pharmacy in distress.
• Qingfeng explained the monks' rules to the girls and sent a Shadow Clone to calm Jiriku down.
• Yamato asked whether the team could take higher-rank missions after completing fifty low-rank missions, while the girls demonstrated Clone Jutsu and announced their early graduation applications.
• Qingfeng warned the girls to study theory and prepare for harder graduation exams, then followed his Shadow Clone to find Jiriku standing by a river.
• Qingfeng dragged Jiriku to several lodging houses, rejected one that offered illicit services, and finally left him in a legitimate room.

Qingfeng accompanied Jiriku as he prepared to leave Konoha with Asuma Sarutobi for the Daimyo's Mansion. After Asuma's family saw him off at the Hokage Building, Kurenai Yuhi appeared at the village gate, and Asuma brightened when he saw her.

• Qingfeng woke to find Jiriku beside his bed, and Jiriku asked him to see him off.
• Qingfeng gave Jiriku dumplings and accompanied him toward the Hokage Building to meet Asuma Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako Sarutobi waited with Jiriku and Qingfeng for Asuma, while Biwako repeatedly reminded her son to take care of himself.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Asuma off without leaving the steps, and Asuma walked away after the fourth expected person failed to arrive.
• Kurenai Yuhi waited at Konoha's gate, and Asuma smiled broadly when he saw her.

Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato completed another cat-catching mission while Hiruzen arranged a B-rank mission for them to eliminate bandits near the Temple of Fire. Kakashi was assigned to lead the team, while Minato was told to remain in the village.

• Qingfeng left Asuma and Kurenai at the village gates, then joined Itachi and Yamato for a mission to find Little Flower.
• Sven located Little Flower, and Qingfeng used his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to control the cat after it evaded their attempts to catch it.
• Hiruzen asked Minato about the team's readiness and gave him a B-rank mission to eliminate bandits near the Temple of Fire.
• Minato agreed to the mission but was told Kakashi would lead the team and that he must stay in the village.
• Hiruzen gave Kakashi the mission and ordered him to notify the three young Ninja.

The Third Hokage assigned Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato a mission outside the village and made Kakashi their leader instead of Minato. Qingfeng and Itachi suspected the change was tied to tensions between the Uchiha and the Hokage, and left to prepare for the mission while the Third Hokage watched them in secret.

• The Third Hokage praised Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato, then gave them a mission to deal with bandits near the Temple of Fire.
• The Third Hokage said Kakashi would lead the mission because Minato needed to guard the village, prompting Qingfeng to worry that Minato’s ties to the Uchiha had raised suspicions.
• Kakashi told the three to meet at the village entrance the next morning, and Qingfeng and Itachi went together to speak with Minato.
• Itachi told Qingfeng that the division within the Leaf Village Military Police Force remained unresolved beneath the surface.
• Minato confirmed he knew about the mission and advised the two to bring extra ninja tools and be careful before rushing off to soothe Naruto.
• The Third Hokage watched Qingfeng and Itachi leave through a crystal ball, then closed his eyes in thought.

Danzō prepared to pursue his plan on a mission near the Temple of Fire, while Qingfeng paid Orochimaru for research and received a cryptic warning. Qingfeng then fed Sven enhanced pills and decided to keep the crow close as he prepared to leave on a mission.

• Yamato told Danzō that he would leave on a mission with Kakashi the next morning, and Danzō decided to go himself with Fuu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame.
• Itachi waited for Shisui and resolved to try signing a summoning contract again.
• Orochimaru stopped Qingfeng on the road, and Qingfeng paid him with a scroll containing a hundred Secret Soldier Pills.
• Orochimaru warned Qingfeng to be careful on missions and not to get blown to death, then walked away without explaining further.
• Qingfeng fed Sven a double-enhanced Secret Soldier Pill and told the crow to stay by his side.

On the night before his mission, Qingfeng was cornered by Anko and the Inuzuka sisters, who insisted he share their bed. He pretended to sleep while they cut his hair, then tidied the uneven result after they left.

• Qingfeng told the three girls that he was leaving on a bandit extermination mission near the Temple of Fire with a Jonin leading the team.
• Anko, Inuzuka Hana, and the other sister pushed Qingfeng onto the bed and lay beside him at the Pharmacy.
• Qingfeng pretended to fall asleep so the girls would leave, but they stayed to criticize and cut his hair.
• The girls abandoned the half-finished haircut and slipped out of the Pharmacy.
• Qingfeng got up, picked up the scissors, and trimmed his uneven hair in the mirror.

Kakashi led Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato out of Leaf Village on a mission while Izumi arrived at the gate too late to see Itachi off. Meanwhile, Kakuzu was sent back to the Land of Fire to watch the Veterinarian and discovered that the wandering group he had taken over consisted of Orochimaru’s abandoned test subjects.

• Itachi told Qingfeng that he had formed a contract with the Ninja Crows, and Qingfeng asked whether he had told Izumi about their mission.
• Kakashi arrived near noon, registered their mission, and led Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato out of Leaf Village as Hiruzen watched from the Hokage Building.
• Izumi went to the village gate with Anko, Uzuki Yugao, and another sister, but the group had already left.
• Pain assigned Kakuzu to return to the Land of Fire and monitor the Veterinarian near Leaf Village.
• Kakuzu took over a wandering organization and learned its members were Orochimaru’s defective test subjects, whose lives depended on drugs that restrained them.

Orochimaru secretly gave Danzō sabotaged restriction pills and sent his failed test subjects on a mission, while Kakuzu posed as their boss. Danzō led the group toward the Temple of Fire to kill two Uchiha genin, unaware that Kakuzu intended to use the opportunity to gather intelligence on Konoha.

• Orochimaru agreed to lend Danzō his failed test subjects, tampering with their restriction pills so they would die after one battle.
• Danzō arrived at the hideout and promised the test subjects three years of safety if they followed him on a mission.
• Kakuzu, disguised as the group's boss, accepted a restriction pill from Danzō and pretended to cooperate while planning to spy on him.
• Danzō told Kakuzu that their targets were two Uchiha genin and promised to restore the test subjects if they succeeded, though he intended to kill them regardless.
• Danzō led the group toward the Temple of Fire to intercept Kakashi's team, while the test subjects eagerly anticipated their return to normal.

Kakashi led Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato on a deliberately slow journey to the bandits’ mountain hideout while Danzō’s men waited to ambush the two Uchiha genin. After Kakashi scouted the summit, he ordered Yamato to command the mission team and said he would not intervene as they began their nighttime assault.

• Kakashi’s team spent fifteen days traveling toward the Temple of Fire, stopping often to rest and enjoy lavish meals while Danzō’s men waited nearby.
• Torune Aburame reported that Kakashi and his three teammates had reached the mountain, and Danzō ordered his men to follow the plan to kill the two Uchiha genin after luring Kakashi away.
• Yamato grew tense and urged Kakashi to let him handle the bandits alone, while Qingfeng used his Sensory Technique and became wary of Yamato’s behavior.
• Kakashi left to scout the bandits’ hideout and found that the strongest opponent was only at Chunin level.
• After night fell, Kakashi put Yamato in command and warned the team he would watch from afar without intervening, even if they died.

Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato launched a surprise attack on the bandits while Danzō’s forces began a separate operation against Kakashi. The chapter ended with Qingfeng’s Great Fire Annihilation engulfing the mountaintop buildings as the bandits screamed inside.

• Yamato outlined a plan for the three young ninjas to surround the bandits and attack without mercy, and Kakashi agreed to lead them to the mission site.
• Qingfeng, Itachi, and Yamato climbed the mountain, while Danzō ordered Torune Aburame and Fuu Yamanaka to target Kakashi.
• Danzō distributed suppressive pills to his test subjects and promised two restorative pills to whoever killed one of the Uchiha; Kakuzu stayed beside Danzō for safety.
• Yamato and Itachi began bombarding the bandits’ buildings with Earth Style and Fire Style techniques.
• Qingfeng unleashed Great Fire Annihilation, turning the area into a sea of flames and forcing Itachi and Yamato to retreat from the blaze.

Uchiha Qingfeng, Yamato, and Uchiha Itachi slaughtered Matsudaira’s bandits on the mountaintop. Qingfeng struggled to finish Matsudaira after he begged for mercy, but Matsudaira’s attack gave Qingfeng an opening to kill him with Great Ball Rasengan.

• Qingfeng’s Fire Style engulfed the mountaintop, while Yamato and Uchiha Itachi fought through the burning buildings and killed the bandits.
• Qingfeng ignored a Shuriken as Yamato and Itachi continued cutting down the bandits, leaving Matsudaira furious and desperate.
• Matsudaira revealed himself as the bandit leader and charged at the Konoha Ninja after his subordinates suffered heavy casualties.
• Qingfeng’s Chidori Spear fell short of Matsudaira, who dropped to his knees and begged for his life.
• When Yamato approached with a Kunai, Matsudaira sprang up and swung his Katana, but Yamato blocked the strike.
• Qingfeng hit Matsudaira with Great Ball Rasengan and sent him flying.

Kakashi discovered that Root agents Fuu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame had ambushed him, and fought them to prevent Danzō from carrying out his plans. He separated the two opponents and engaged Fuu while his Shadow Clone kept Torune busy, but the battle remained unresolved.

• Fuu Yamanaka attacked Kakashi with the Mind Transfer Technique while Torune Aburame sent poisonous insects after him, but they struck a Shadow Clone.
• Kakashi found Fuu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, recognized them as Root Ninja, and learned they intended to kill him so no one would know of the attack.
• Kakashi used Chidori, Hidden Mist Technique, and a Genjutsu feint against the pair, but their teamwork and abilities countered his attacks.
• Kakashi used his Shadow Clone to occupy Torune Aburame and fought Fuu Yamanaka directly, aiming to defeat him first.
• Fuu Yamanaka taunted Kakashi about saving the two Uchiha, claiming they were certain to die that day.

Kakashi fought Fuu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame while his chakra dwindled, and Torune’s poison dust destroyed Kakashi’s Shadow Clone and forced him to retreat. After Fuu mocked Kakashi’s guilt over a companion’s death and threatened the people on the mountain, Kakashi prepared to fight to the death as the two Root shinobi moved to finish him.

• Kakashi realized Danzō had come with Fuu Yamanaka and struggled to gain the upper hand in their close combat, then resolved to properly practice the Hatake Sword Style if he survived.
• Torune Aburame used Poison Dust, which overwhelmed Kakashi’s Shadow Clone and spread toward Kakashi and Fuu.
• Kakashi retreated from the poison dust, but Fuu taunted him about killing a companion and threatened the three people on the mountain.
• Kakashi stood outside the poison’s range with his chakra nearly depleted and his Lightning Cutter ready, while Pakkun had been sent to report what happened to the village.
• Torune and Fuu saw Kakashi charge with what they believed was his final Lightning Cutter and prepared to kill him.

Kakashi fought Torune Aburame and Fuu Yamanaka until his Chakra ran out, but Obito Uchiha intervened before Fuu could kill him. Obito saved Kakashi, captured Fuu, and let Torune escape before heading toward the mountaintop.

• Kakashi charged Torune Aburame, whose poisonous insects wore down the Lightning Cutter until Kakashi collapsed from exhaustion.
• Fuu Yamanaka moved to kill Kakashi, but Obito Uchiha appeared through a vortex and pulled Fuu into the Kamui Space.
• Torune Aburame used Secret Technique: Insect Destruction to scatter poisonous insects and escape while Obito protected Kakashi.
• Obito cleared the insects, confirmed Kakashi was alive, and hung him from a tree.
• Obito left Kakashi and headed toward the firelight atop the mountain.