Chapter Summaries

Ōnoki approved a southward campaign against Sunagakure, judging it too weak to resist while ordering Iwagakure to avoid provoking a wider war. The meeting ended with preparations underway and Shōji suspecting the strategy could also benefit the Uchiha Clan.

• Ōnoki’s assessment concluded that Sunagakure was at its weakest and unlikely to deploy its One-Tail Jinchuriki against Iwagakure.
• Ōnoki ordered more than three thousand troops to attack Sunagakure’s Southern Fortress, naming Kitsuchi commander-in-chief and Iwatetsu and Shōji his deputies.
• Ōnoki explained that Han had been sent to the eastern border to guard against Kumogakure while Iwagakure focused on the southern campaign.
• Kitsuchi, Shōji, Iwatetsu, and the department heads agreed to the orders, and Ōnoki demanded personnel mobilization within three days.
• Shōji suspected that the campaign might also serve the interests of the Uchiha Clan as Iwagakure began its preparations.

Uchiha Shōji persuaded Iwagakure’s commanders to include Uchiha Clan members in the campaign, helping the clan build acceptance in the village. Kitsuchi appointed Shōji to lead the advance force against Sunagakure, and Shōji accepted the assignment.

• Shōji volunteered the Uchiha Clan’s share of combat personnel, and Kitsuchi approved the request after Ido’s nod.
• Kamizuru Iwatetsu recognized that Shōji’s political skill and presence demanded respect, though he still regarded the Uchiha Clan as rivals.
• Shōji and the Uchiha leadership focused on winning support from Ōnoki’s faction and Iwagakure’s commoners rather than courting the established noble clans.
• Kitsuchi said the army’s supplies would be ready within seven days and named Shōji to lead the first advance force.
• Shōji accepted the assignment and promised not to disappoint Kitsuchi or Lord Tsuchikage.

Kitsuchi finalized Iwagakure’s southern campaign against Sunagakure, with preparations ordered to begin immediately. Shōji returned to the Uchiha compound and learned that Fugaku and the elders wanted him to succeed as clan head.

• Ōnoki assigned Ido to the Snow Country strategy and put Kitsuchi, Shōji, and Iwatetsu in charge of the southern campaign against Sunagakure.
• Kitsuchi settled the personnel and supply arrangements with Iwatetsu and ordered the village to prepare for war, with the march set for three days later.
• Shōji hurried back to the Uchiha compound to discuss how the sudden campaign might affect the clan.
• Kogen told Shōji that Fugaku and the elders were waiting for him at Fugaku’s home.
• Fugaku told Shōji that he, the three remaining elders, and other clan members supported Shōji succeeding him as clan head.

Fugaku and the elders urged Shōji to become the Uchiha Clan's next head, but Shōji asked them to postpone the change because Iwagakure was preparing for a campaign against Sunagakure. He left to lead the advance troops in three days, while Fugaku planned to prepare the clan for Shōji's eventual succession.

• Fugaku and the elders agreed that Shōji was the best candidate to lead the Uchiha Clan, and Fugaku resolved to step down as an act of atonement for his past failures.
• Shōji declined to take over immediately, explaining that Iwagakure had just announced a major military operation.
• Shōji revealed that the Third Tsuchikage had appointed him deputy commander-in-chief for the Southward Strategy against Sunagakure's Northern Fortress.
• Shōji explained the campaign's objectives, including details from his mission to Snow Country and the Chakra Armor, and Fugaku and the elders understood why the timing was difficult.
• Fugaku agreed to postpone the succession but said the clan would begin preparing for Shōji to take over in the future.

Shōji discussed the Uchiha Clan’s role in Iwagakure’s campaign against Sunagakure and chose which clansmen would accompany him. He left to prepare for the front, while the elders remained uncertain whether Ōnoki’s favor was an opportunity or a test.

• Shōji explained that he had requested a limited number of Uchiha to join him on the front line to build trust with Iwagakure’s civilians and ninja.
• Fugaku agreed that younger Uchiha should join the deployment, while Shōji said Fugaku and Shisui would remain behind.
• Sōgen recommended including a steady clansman to manage the younger Uchiha, and Shōji selected Yashiro because Kogen was occupied with logistics.
• Shōji bowed to Fugaku and the elders, then left to prepare for the campaign’s advance force, which would depart in three days.
• Sōgen, Chie, and Genran wondered whether Ōnoki’s support was an opportunity or a test, and admitted they still struggled to trust him.

Fugaku and the Uchiha elders entrusted Shōji with handling external affairs as Iwagakure prepared to resume its war against Sunagakure. Shōji led a five-hundred-strong advance force toward the border, just as Sunagakure’s spies uncovered firm intelligence about the operation.

• Fugaku told Sōgen, Genran, and Chie that Shōji could handle the situation while they focused on the clan’s internal affairs.
• Iwagakure began assembling an advance force to strike Sunagakure’s Northern Fortress before the main army arrived.
• Kitsuchi placed Shōji in command of the frontline troops and warned him not to act too hastily.
• Shōji led five hundred Iwagakure Ninja, including Uchiha clansmen, toward the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.
• Sunagakure’s spies in Iwagakure obtained conclusive intelligence about the advancing force.

Sunagakure’s intelligence operatives confirmed that Iwagakure was likely preparing to attack, and Rasa learned that Uchiha Shōji’s five-hundred-man vanguard was approaching the border. Rasa recognized Sunagakure’s vulnerability and called for his senior shinobi to assemble.

• Sunagakure’s spies concluded there was an eighty to ninety percent chance Iwagakure was targeting their village and sent an urgent report home.
• The intelligence reached Sunagakure as Shōji led five hundred Iwagakure Ninja toward the border.
• The head of Sunagakure’s intelligence division delivered the report to Rasa, who learned that Iwagakure might be targeting the Northern Fortress and was mobilizing more forces.
• Rasa recalled Sunagakure’s shortage of combat strength, the loss of its previous Jinchuriki, and the fact that Gaara was only two years old.
• Rasa ordered someone to summon Baki, Yura, and Fugi.

Rasa mobilized Sunagakure for war against Iwagakure, sent Baki with reinforcements to the Northern Fortress, and sought aid from Konoha. Meanwhile, Shōji reached the border and ordered an immediate surprise assault on the fortress, hoping to capture it before Sunagakure's reinforcements arrived.

• Rasa summoned Sunagakure's senior ninja, declared an emergency, and ordered the village to prepare for war.
• Rasa sent Baki with five to six hundred elite Sunagakure Ninja to reinforce the Northern Fortress and requested aid from Konoha.
• Rasa planned to keep Konoha's forces out of the Land of Wind and hoped they would instead attack the Land of Earth through the Land of Grass.
• Shōji led five hundred elite troops to Iwagakure's border stronghold and took command of the frontline forces.
• Shōji gathered the available Iwagakure Ninja and ordered a surprise assault on Sunagakure's Northern Fortress.

Uchiha Shōji led nearly a thousand Iwagakure Ninja toward Sunagakure’s Northern Fortress, where Gabriel hurriedly prepared the defenses. Shōji revealed his second-form Susanoo and struck the fortress with a devastating blade, beginning the battle.

• Shōji assembled the Iwagakure force and ordered it to march toward Sunagakure’s Northern Fortress.
• Gabriel received Rasa’s order, raised the fortress’s defenses, and mobilized reinforcements from the rear outposts.
• Shōji’s Sharingan detected and eliminated Sunagakure scouts who tried to delay the advancing force.
• Shōji ordered his units to clear traps and prepare an assault, dismissing Komori Sōsuke’s concern about the defensive barrier.
• Shōji awakened his Four-Pointed Windmill Sharingan, manifested his second-form Susanoo, and slashed at the fortress.

Shōji shattered Sunagakure's Northern Fortress barrier with Susanoo, allowing the Iwagakure forces to attack. As both sides fought across the battlefield, Shōji entered 'Musou Mode' and cut down Sunagakure's elite defenders.

• Shōji struck the fortress barrier twice with Susanoo, cracking it and then shattering it completely.
• Gabriel rallied the shocked Sunagakure Ninja and ordered them to stay alert.
• The Iwagakure Ninja attacked the fortress in coordinated waves as Sunagakure launched Ninjutsu counterattacks.
• Both forces clashed across the open ground, exchanging large-scale Ninjutsu attacks.
• Shōji dismissed Susanoo and deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, then slaughtered Sunagakure Ninja with his sword.

Shōji carved through Gabriel’s Sunagakure forces with Sharingan genjutsu and lightning-fast sword strikes, while the Iwagakure troops pushed the defenders into a rout. He reached the fortress and leapt toward Gabriel, who met his attack with a Wind Release technique.

• Gabriel ordered the Sunagakure Ninja to surround Shōji, believing he had weakened after using Susanoo.
• Shōji used his Sharingan to trap the Sunagakure Ninja in genjutsu and cut down their fighters as he advanced.
• The surviving Sunagakure Ninja panicked as Shōji and the Iwagakure force broke their defensive formation.
• Shōji used the Great Fireball Technique to kill several Sunagakure Ninja and reached the fortress.
• Shōji leapt toward Gabriel, who countered with Wind Release: Beast Palm Air Wave Technique.

Shōji overwhelmed Gabriel during the Iwagakure assault on Sunagakure’s Northern Fortress, leaving the defenders close to defeat. Gabriel provoked himself into a desperate attack, but Shōji smashed through it head-on.

• Gabriel ambushed Shōji with a Wind Release technique and a kunai, but Shōji blocked the strike and recognized Gabriel as a formidable opponent.
• Shōji’s forces broke through Sunagakure’s defenses while he had already killed more than fifty defenders, including several Jōnin.
• Gabriel, unable to focus on commanding his collapsing troops, resolved to fight desperately for a chance to survive.
• Shōji praised Gabriel’s fighting spirit, and Gabriel took his words as an insult and roared that he should not be underestimated.
• Gabriel unleashed Wind Release: Air Current Dance, but Shōji’s lightning-wreathed Tachi crushed the gale head-on.

Shōji defeated and killed Gabriel, breaking the last resistance of the Sunagakure forces at the Northern Fortress. He ordered the Iwagakure Ninja to pursue them only briefly and hold the fortress, leaving his new commander's authority strengthened.

• Shōji paralyzed Gabriel with Lightning Release and bound him with Earth Release.
• Shōji severed Gabriel’s arms and hands, then struck his chest and killed him.
• With their commander dead and their forces routed, the Sunagakure Ninja retreated from the Northern Fortress.
• Shōji ordered the Iwagakure Ninja to halt their pursuit after a brief chase and secure the fortress.
• The Iwagakure Ninja showed Shōji newfound respect after witnessing his strength.

Shōji led the Iwagakure forces in capturing Sunagakure’s Northern Fortress in a day, using Susanoo to break its defenses and inflicting far fewer casualties than expected. After learning of the defeat, Baki ordered the frontline strongholds to strengthen reconnaissance and rebuild their defensive line while awaiting the Kazekage’s orders.

• Shōji ordered the Iwagakure Ninja to take over the fortress’s facilities and reinforce its traps and barriers, then watched toward Sunagakure.
• The Iwagakure forces captured the Northern Fortress, killing or wounding nearly half its defenders while suffering only a little over a hundred casualties.
• Baki and Rasa received reports that Shōji had shattered the fortress barrier and killed Sunagakure Jōnin with ease.
• Baki judged that Shōji vastly outclassed him and ordered the frontline strongholds to increase reconnaissance and rebuild their defensive line.

After Shōji’s rapid capture of the Northern Fortress left Sunagakure unable to mount a counterattack, Baki prepared defenses while Rasa mobilized the village and sought help from its retired elders. Sunagakure entered its highest state of war readiness as Rasa braced for a wider conflict.

• Baki judged that his forces could not retake the Northern Fortress and ordered them to fortify their position while awaiting Rasa’s orders.
• Rasa learned that the Northern Fortress had fallen in less than an hour and struggled to accept the loss of Sunagakure’s strongest outpost.
• Rasa ordered Yura to lead the village’s remaining forces to the front, told Baki to hold position, and instructed the village to condemn Iwagakure and keep the Kage squad ready.
• Rasa decided to personally visit Ebizo and Chiyo to ask them to emerge from retirement and aid Sunagakure.
• Rasa issued a more urgent war-readiness order, throwing Sunagakure into turmoil.

Sunagakure panicked after Iwagakure captured its Northern Fortress, while news of Uchiha Shōji’s decisive victory spread across the shinobi world. Onoki praised Shōji’s strength and restraint, then ordered Iwagakure’s forces to hold their gains without widening the war.

• Sunagakure received a second, highest-level combat readiness order after the Northern Fortress fell, alarming villagers and ninja alike.
• Rasa worked to stabilize Sunagakure and sought advice and help from Ebizo and Chiyo.
• Intelligence of the fortress’s capture and Shōji’s Susanoo reached the leaders of the shinobi villages.
• Onoki praised Shōji for taking the fortress with a small force and returning to defend it instead of pursuing the retreating Sunagakure Ninja.
• Onoki ordered eastern border guards to stay alert, sent more supplies south, and authorized Kitsuchi, Shōji, Iwatetsu, and the others to make frontline decisions while preserving their gains.

Iwagakure prepared to hold the Northern Fortress and press Sunagakure to cede territory, while Ōnoki kept his larger plans for Chakra Armor and the Snow Country in view. Kumogakure’s troop movements alarmed Konoha, where Danzō urged an immediate intervention against Iwagakure.

• Ōnoki reinforced Iwagakure’s eastern border and prepared a second force in case Konoha or Kumogakure moved against him.
• Rasa ordered Baki to redeploy troops and stabilize the defensive line around the southern pass beyond the Northern Fortress.
• Small nations such as the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and the Rain Country grew wary of the sudden war and began preparing for a wider conflict.
• Kumogakure reinforced its forces near the Land of Hot Springs, prompting Konoha’s frontline commander to send an urgent report to the village.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen gathered Danzō, the other Konoha elders, Nara Shikaku, and Yamanaka Inoichi to discuss the crisis.
• Danzō urged Konoha to send troops and exploit the war to weaken Iwagakure, citing Sunagakure’s and Kumogakure’s hostility toward it.

Danzo urged Konoha to exploit Iwagakure’s attack on Sunagakure by joining forces with other villages, but Hiruzen and the other elders insisted that Konoha intervene cautiously. Shikaku backed a staged response and warned that coercive measures should remain a last resort.

• Danzo argued that Iwagakure’s alliance with the Uchiha Clan had made it too dangerous to leave unchecked, and urged Konoha to aid Sunagakure and coordinate with Kumogakure.
• Homura and Koharu agreed that Konoha should intervene but called for careful methods, while Hiruzen supported their cautious approach.
• Danzo warned that Iwagakure and Shōji might turn against Konoha if they were allowed to grow stronger, but Hiruzen insisted that their power required greater caution.
• Hiruzen asked Shikaku for his assessment, and Shikaku supported staged intervention after Konoha fully understood the situation.
• Shikaku said Konoha could use extraordinary coercive measures if necessary, but should reserve them as a last resort.

Nara Shikaku persuaded Konoha’s leaders to cautiously assess Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure before committing troops. Before they could act on the plan, Kumogakure began probing Konoha’s northern border, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others alarmed.

• Nara Shikaku identified Iwagakure’s intentions, Sunagakure’s remaining strength, and Kumogakure’s movements as the key factors in deciding Konoha’s response.
• Shikaku proposed deploying three to five hundred troops near the Land of Grass border, sending a delegation with Sunagakure to question the Third Tsuchikage, and gathering intelligence on Kumogakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu approved Shikaku’s cautious plan, and Shimura Danzō reluctantly accepted it.
• Danzo considered recruiting Suzaku of the Nara Clan into Root.
• News reached Konoha that Kumogakure was making unusual northern-border movements and had launched probing attacks on Konoha’s outposts.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the other leaders reacted with grave concern.

Kumogakure attacked Konoha to seize influence over the Land of Hot Springs, preventing Konoha from pressuring Iwagakure. With Iwagakure’s reinforcements swelling its border force to over three thousand, Rasa struggled to prepare Sunagakure for a costly defense.

• The Fourth Raikage and Kumogakure’s leaders chose to attack Konoha while Iwagakure and Sunagakure were at war, keeping Yugito and Killer B in reserve.
• Konoha turned its advance force back after learning of Kumogakure’s pressure, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and the others in a foul mood.
• Rasa learned that Kitsuchi had arrived with nearly two thousand Iwagakure Ninja, bringing Iwagakure’s border force to more than three thousand.
• Rasa mobilized reinforcements, sought supplies and support from the Land of Wind’s daimyo, and prepared to lead troops to the front himself.
• Kitsuchi welcomed Iwagakure’s unexpectedly swift gains at the Northern Fortress and waited comfortably at the front lines.