Chapter Summaries

Butsuma left Hashirama and Tobirama with Uzumaki Aihara and went to aid the Kurohabaki Clan, while Madara and Mingye prepared a trap for him. Hashirama realized the report that drew their father out was suspicious, but the chapter ended before they could act on his warning.

• Butsuma ordered Hashirama and Tobirama to travel with Uzumaki Aihara to the Land of Whirlpools, then left with more than a hundred ninja to rescue the Kurohabaki Clan.
• Madara, Mingye, and Izuna prepared a forest ambush with venomous snakes and Explosive Tags, and Mingye planned to force Hashirama to cripple his chakra by threatening captives.
• Hashirama and Tobirama set out with Uzumaki Aihara, and Tobirama argued that the Uchiha were trying to prevent small clans from uniting under the Senju.
• Hashirama questioned how the Kurohabaki Clan's messenger had reached the Senju so quickly and concluded that Butsuma had walked into a trap.

Senju Butsuma led the Senju forces into Tianling Valley, where a coerced Kurohabaki shinobi poisoned him before the Uchiha trapped the group in an Iron Prison. Madara and Izuna attacked the Senju, while Butsuma fought back against Madara's Susanoo.

• Hashirama, Tobirama, and Uzumaki Aihara set out to catch up with Senju Butsuma after Hashirama insisted on checking on his father.
• At Tianling Valley, Mingye threatened the old man from the Haguro Clan and explained that his clan and the Togakushi Clan would be spared if the old man's chosen attacker wounded Hashirama.
• Madara argued with Mingye and Izuna that he wanted a fair fight with Hashirama, but his brothers urged him to follow their plan.
• A Kurohabaki shinobi stabbed Senju Butsuma with a poisoned kunai, then killed himself after admitting the attack was his only choice.
• Mingye's Earth Style: Iron Prison enclosed the battlefield, and Madara, Izuna, and the Uchiha forces attacked the Senju shinobi.
• Butsuma summoned a stone statue that struck Madara's Susanoo, then formed new arms and swung them at Madara.

Madara and the Uchiha overwhelmed the Senju as Hashirama tried to cover his clan’s retreat. Mingye and the summoned snakes cut off the survivors, and Hashirama confronted Mingye after the slaughter began.

• Madara fought Senju Butsuma, who resisted despite his poison, until Mingye stabbed him from behind while Hashirama’s Wood Release erupted across the battlefield.
• Tobirama carried Butsuma away, and Uzumaki Aihara shielded their escape until Mingye killed him after Izuna blocked their path.
• Hashirama used Wood Release to open an escape route for the surviving Senju, while Mingye wondered how Hashirama had learned the technique and summoned Manda, Wu, and Mie.
• Mingye, Izuna, and the snakes attacked the fleeing Senju, killing many as Hashirama struggled to reach them through his battle with Madara.
• Hashirama raised a wooden wall to protect the last dozen Senju and demanded that Mingye spare them, but Mingye silently wiped his sword clean.

Mingye cornered Hashirama and demanded his death, while threatening the Senju Clan and targeting Tobirama. Hashirama’s attempt to surrender was interrupted by Butsuma’s attack, and Butsuma sent Tobirama to rescue Hashirama before opening a forbidden gate himself.

• Mingye told Hashirama that the Hatake Clan and allied clans were moving against the Senju base, and demanded that Hashirama kill himself while promising to spare everyone except Tobirama.
• Hashirama prepared to die, but Butsuma unleashed a massive Water Release attack and then opened the Eight Inner Gates, disrupting Mingye’s trap.
• Mingye ordered the Hatake Clan to kill the Senju, while Hashirama realized Mingye had never intended to spare the clan.
• Butsuma stopped Tobirama from fleeing and urged him to rescue Hashirama and lead the Senju away, despite Tobirama’s worries about his poisoned wound.
• Uzumaki Aihara appeared alive and used sealing techniques to delay the poison, but warned that Butsuma had at most three months to live without help from Mount Myoboku.
• Butsuma told Tobirama not to seek revenge until he had built a powerful force, then activated the Forbidden Technique: Gate of Wonder, Open.

Mingye and the Uchiha defeated Butsuma while Hashirama and Tobirama escaped, only to find the Senju village destroyed. Mingye then pushed for the brothers’ deaths, warning that their survival could threaten the Uchiha Clan’s future.

• Tobirama told Hashirama that Butsuma had used a forbidden technique and that Mingye’s poison was especially dangerous to the Senju, so the brothers fled with their clansmen.
• Madara, Mingye, and Izuna attacked Butsuma together, overwhelmed him, and killed him.
• Hashirama and Tobirama returned to the Senju village and found everyone there dead; Hashirama decided to take the twelve surviving clansmen to the Land of Whirlpools.
• Mingye’s clan issued a proclamation declaring the Senju enemies of the nation and placing Hashirama and Tobirama on a wanted list.
• Mingye told Shimizu that Hashirama and Tobirama still had to be killed, warning that otherwise the Uchiha might fail to become the world’s greatest clan.

Mingye planned to investigate the Sarutobi Clan while the Senju brothers considered an alliance with General Shimura Sasuke. Madara showed Mingye and Izuna a remote site for a village, and Mingye approved its defensible location.

• Mingye discussed Akiyama Nobunori's forces and trade with Shimizu, then decided to visit the Sarutobi Clan himself.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju hid from pursuers and met Zhanye, who offered to help them fight the Uchiha Clan.
• Zhanye said he served General Shimura Sasuke, and Hashirama asked him to take the brothers to meet the general.
• Madara showed Mingye and Izuna a forested mountain site, and Mingye judged it suitable for a village.

Mingye, Madara, and Izuna planned the new village’s academy, mission system, military, and intelligence network before Mingye left to recruit the Sarutobi Clan. He reached Sarutobi Hiruzen’s residence and drank the wine set before him, while wondering how Hiruzen had known he was coming.

• Madara assigned Izuna to organize the village and bring in the Hatake, Kurohabaki, and other clans, while he and Mingye handled the order to kill Akiyama Nobunori and sought funding.
• Mingye proposed a Ninja Academy, mission-based ranks, mission posts, and an all-Jonin force for border defense and foreign wars; Madara insisted children under twelve stay off the battlefield.
• Mingye urged Izuna to organize the Anbu to collect intelligence on the Land of Fire, other countries, and every clan.
• After three days of construction, Mingye traveled alone to the Sarutobi Clan’s stronghold and met Sarutobi Yuso, who led him to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Mingye entered Hiruzen’s residence, wondered how the clan head had anticipated his visit, and drank the wine waiting on the table.

Mingye failed to recruit the Sarutobi Clan, then planned to use Akiyama Nobunori’s death and a clash with the Land of Earth to disguise an assassination as a justified cleanup. As Akiyama waited in the Land of Rain, Yamanaka Saura, Nara Dogu, and Akimichi Shan were ordered to meet the arriving party, while Shan grew furious at Honda Kamesuke’s insults.

• Sarutobi Sasuke refused Mingye’s invitation to join the Uchiha Clan’s Ninja Village, but promised to lead his clan there if Mingye succeeded.
• Mingye learned that Akiyama Nobunori would enter the Land of Rain in three days and that he was in contact with the Land of Earth.
• Mingye told Uchiha Gu to contact General Sato and planned to gather evidence before arranging for Akiyama to die in a clash with the Land of Earth’s shinobi.
• Akiyama Nobunori waited beside a cave for the Land of Earth’s representatives while Yamanaka Saura, Nara Dogu, and Akimichi Shan discussed his smuggling partnership.
• Honda Kamesuke ordered the three shinobi to go to the meeting point and insulted them, prompting Nara Dogu to apologize and Yamanaka Saura to warn Shan not to retaliate.
• Akimichi Shan crushed his rice ball and cursed Honda Kamesuke after the man left.

Mingye and Madara confronted Akiyama Nobunori’s forces after learning of his schemes to aid the Land of Earth, while Mingye spared three Sarutobi-affiliated shinobi. Mingye killed Honda Kamesuke and sealed Sarutobi Wataru’s chakra, then ordered the Uchiha to withdraw.

• Nara Dogu, Yamanaka Saura, and Akimichi Shan worried about the Uchiha Clan’s power and its apparent threat to Akiyama Nobunori.
• Mingye told the three Sarutobi-affiliated shinobi to stand aside, and Madara let them go.
• Mingye killed Honda Kamesuke and sent his body to the snake-filled pool in Earth Dragon Cave.
• Mingye accused Akiyama Nobunori of conspiring with the Land of Earth to invade the Land of Fire, and Akiyama offered him a place in his scheme.
• Madara and the Uchiha shinobi attacked Akiyama Nobunori’s forces while Mingye fought Sarutobi Wataru and sealed his chakra.
• Mingye spared Sarutobi Wataru and ordered him to withdraw, saying he could submit to the Uchiha Clan later.

Mingye’s Uchiha forces defeated Akiyama Nobunori’s samurai, and Mingye planned to profit by building a dam in the Land of Rain. Meanwhile, Shimura Sasuke met with Hashirama and Tobirama Senju and warned that the old order was changing, leaving Hashirama to insist his clan could no longer stop the Uchiha.

• Akimichi Shan rescued Sarutobi Wataru and crushed samurai as he rolled away from the occupied area.
• Akiyama Nobunori watched his forces fall, questioned why Sato had been chosen, then committed suicide after Mingye declared the Uchiha’s ambition to rule.
• Mingye ordered Uchiha Lian to take Akiyama Nobunori’s head to Okayama Castle and proposed building a dam to charge the Land of Wind for water.
• Shimura Sasuke welcomed Hashirama and Tobirama Senju to his pavilion and revealed that Akiyama Nobunori had died three days earlier.
• Shimura Sasuke said only the Senju Clan could stop the Uchiha, but Hashirama replied that his clan no longer had that strength.

Mingye and Sato sought the Daimyo’s decree naming the Uchiha Clan the Land of Fire’s officially employed ninja, but Funazai Yuraya blocked the proposal. Sato then entrusted Mingye with building a ninja army under the Shogun’s name, while Mingye and his allies wondered why Funazai had intervened.

• Shimura Sasuke asked Hashirama whether he would oppose Mingye and Madara’s ambitions, and Hashirama said their plan to unify the ninja world would bring greater chaos.
• Sato brought Mingye before the young Daimyo to request a decree appointing the Uchiha Clan as the nation’s official ninja, but Funazai Yuraya objected.
• Sato ordered Mingye to keep Funazai away from Okayama Castle, then accepted Mingye’s proposal to recruit ninja clans into an army under the Shogun’s name.
• Sato gave Mingye control of missions within his jurisdiction as a reward for his work, including the matter involving the Land of Rain.
• Mingye reported the meeting to Madara and Izuna, and the three questioned why Funazai had suddenly opposed Sato and the Uchiha Clan.

Mingye and Madara traveled to Rōran to pursue a partnership with Dragon Eye and secure resources for their village. Mingye offered food and proposed a deal involving the tanuki, leaving Dragon Eye ready to hear their purpose.

• Mingye proposed secretly building the village framework and absorbing Sato’s missions while pursuing smuggling deals in the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
• Madara ordered Mingye to travel with him and told Izuna to establish the village’s rough framework within three months.
• Izuna explained that Madara had begun deciphering the Uchiha stone tablet, whose Mangekyō Sharingan section revealed only part of its contents.
• Mingye and Madara crossed the desert to Rōran, where Madara said he wanted to meet Dragon Eye.
• Mingye gave Dragon Eye ten crates of food, demonstrated his strength, and offered the tanuki as part of a potential deal.
• Dragon Eye accepted Mingye’s offer of a discussion and asked him to state his purpose.

Mingye negotiated a deal with a representative of the Land of Wind, then investigated the Ryūmyaku’s Dragon Eye and learned from Ara and the White Snake Sage that its power came from natural energy. The White Snake Sage suggested that Mount Myoboku’s ancient toad might know who had altered natural energy, leaving Mingye with a new lead.

• Mingye demanded that the Land of Wind help build and control dams, protect his interests, capture the raccoon dog at Lush Forest Temple, and openly assassinate Yuteng You in exchange for the tailed beast.
• The representative agreed to kill Yuteng You within ten days of receiving the tailed beast, and Madara reported that the representatives had gone north.
• Mingye and Madara reached the Ryūmyaku’s Dragon Eye, where Madara sensed an immense chakra supply unlike that of humans or tailed beasts.
• Ara told Mingye that the Dragon Eye contained earth energy mixed with dangerous natural energy, which could not be refined.
• The White Snake Sage explained that sources such as the Ryūmyaku were gathered natural energy transformed by the chakra-saturated world, then pointed Mingye toward Mount Myoboku and its ancient toad.

Mingye and Madara confronted Lush Forest Temple to obtain Shukaku, using force and threats when the monks resisted. Shukaku burst free beneath the temple, while Mingye also realized someone was spreading damaging rumors about the Uchiha clan.

• Mingye chose to learn the White Snake Sage’s true Sage Method despite its dangers, seeking enough strength to kill Tailed Beasts.
• Mingye and Madara infiltrated Lush Forest Temple but failed to find Shukaku’s seal, so they confronted the abbot.
• Madara fought the temple monks with Susanoo, while Jiexin appeared and challenged him with a staff.
• Mingye threatened to destroy the temple and kill its inhabitants unless its monks handed over the One-Tail.
• Mingye learned that people beyond the Land of Fire knew the Uchiha clan as butchers and suspected someone was deliberately damaging its reputation.
• Shukaku erupted from beneath the temple’s rear courtyard as Mingye threatened the abbot and Jiexin.

Mingye and Madara stopped a group of ninjas from stealing Shukaku and questioned the tailed beast about the Sage of Six Paths. Mingye then suggested that the Sage’s many legacies pointed to a larger mystery, leaving Madara wondering what he meant.

• The abbot ordered Lush Forest Temple’s monks to stand down and let Shukaku choose its own fate rather than risk the temple’s destruction.
• Madara and Mingye found twenty-odd ninjas attacking Shukaku and realized they had been used as a distraction while another group tried to steal the sealing jar.
• Madara and Mingye killed the attackers, leaving one survivor to reveal that Shukaku would soon fall asleep again.
• Madara subdued Shukaku with his Sharingan, and Mingye tortured the tailed beast until it answered that the Sage of Six Paths had died before them and that Shukaku could not perceive his soul.
• Mingye asked Madara about the Sage’s death and the origins of the tailed beasts, then argued that several bloodlines and sacred tools seemed connected to the Sage’s legacy.

Mingye discussed the Sage of Six Paths’ likely path to peace with Madara, then returned to the Land of Fire and welcomed Hatake Zangshuo’s clan into his village. He outlined the village’s mission and ninja-ranking system as they prepared to settle the Hatake Clan.

• Mingye explained to Madara why he believed chaos and war would eventually lead people to establish a new order, though lasting peace would remain impossible.
• Mingye ordered Madara to seal Shukaku in a jar and reminded him not to break his promise or attempt further tricks.
• About a week later, Hatake Zangshuo arrived at Mingye’s village with just over twenty members of the Hatake Clan, becoming its first group of unaffiliated ninja.
• Mingye led Hatake Zangshuo toward the clan’s residence and said he planned to use the Hatake Clan to counter rumors about the Uchiha Clan.
• Mingye offered the Hatake Clan priority selection of thirty percent of A-rank and higher missions, then explained the village’s mission ranks, ninja ranks, promotion requirements, and salaries.
• Hatake Zangshuo accepted the need for a structured system, and Mingye clarified that its promotion requirements would apply to the next generation while the Hatake Clan’s mission benefits would still be limited.

Mingye set terms for the Hatake Clan’s place in the village, then joined Madara, Izuna, and Shimizu to discuss rumors threatening the Uchiha. He pressed the Sarutobi Clan to join their faction, and Sarutobi Sasuke yielded and asked what his clan would gain.

• Mingye explained the village’s work and military obligations to Hatake Zangshuo, who accepted the arrangements for his clan.
• Mingye warned Madara, Izuna, and Shimizu that rumors could turn fear of the Uchiha into a coalition against them, and Madara proposed targeting the Sarutobi Clan.
• Mingye argued that the Uchiha should offer the Sarutobi Clan a chance to join before using overwhelming force, then went to confront Sarutobi Sasuke.
• Mingye threatened to attack the Sarutobi Clan if it refused to join, and Sarutobi Sasuke recognized that the Uchiha intended to use the clan’s submission to pressure others across the Land of Fire.
• Sarutobi Sasuke asked what his clan would gain by joining, and Mingye tossed him a document folder.

After the Sarutobi Clan joined the Uchiha village, the village rapidly grew, while Hashirama and Tobirama regrouped and the Uchiha worked to consolidate control. Nearly a year later, Mingye arrived at a council meeting to explain the village’s next steps, unveiling a map of the Land of Fire.

• Mingye persuaded Sarutobi Sasuke to bring the Sarutobi Clan into the village by outlining its political structure and mission-profit shares.
• Tobirama told Hashirama that the Sarutobi Clan had joined the Uchiha village, and Hashirama urged him to protect allied clans and avoid openly confronting the Uchiha.
• The Sarutobi Clan’s submission brought several allied clans and more than ten smaller clans into the village, raising its population to three thousand and nearly doubling its ninja force.
• Nearly a year later, Madara and Izuna focused on integrating the village’s growing ninja population, and Izuna told the elders that Konoha Guard members had to be mission-tested jōnin.
• Mingye arrived late at the council meeting with his sight restored, then unfurled a map showing the Land of Fire’s clan activity and military territories.

Mingye announced plans to monopolize commissions and established a powerful fifteen-member Elder Council beneath the Hokage. Madara named the village Konoha, and Mingye prepared to travel to Okayama Castle to secure retained-ninja contracts.

• Mingye ordered the village to take commissions from the Land of Fire’s opponents or sabotage them if they refused, and warned outside clans to join or lose a place on the Elder Council.
• Mingye explained that the Elder Council would advise the Hokage, oversee village affairs, and nominate a Hokage, while insisting the position would go to whoever proved capable.
• After the meeting, Madara learned Izuna was overseeing western-district construction to prepare housing for clans expected to join the village.
• When General Sato requested the village’s name, Madara chose Konoha, explaining that it represented hope and new life amid the chaos.
• Mingye wrote “Konoha Ninja Village” on the document bag and said he would go to Okayama Castle the next day to seek retained-ninja contracts, while Madara threatened anyone who stood in his way.

Mingye tried to assassinate Funazai Yuraya’s hidden daughter, but Tobirama stopped his attack and Mingye escaped. Mingye summoned Manda to flush out the people hiding her, while Tobirama detected faint chakra near Yuraya’s residence and rushed back after an explosion erupted nearby.

• Sato ordered Mingye to kill Funazai Yuraya’s daughter that night, and Mingye agreed despite warning that the murder could harm Sato’s reputation.
• Mingye infiltrated Yuraya’s residence, where Tobirama intercepted him; Tobirama cut down a snake clone, and Mingye escaped without finding the daughter.
• Tobirama warned Yuraya not to check on his daughter, while Mingye’s subordinates reported that they could not locate her and Mingye ordered them to watch Fujiwara Muneyoshi.
• Mingye summoned Manda outside Okayama Castle and told him to frighten the people hiding Yuraya’s daughter without attacking the city.
• Tobirama realized Manda might be a distraction, sensed faint chakra near Yuraya’s residence, and rushed back when an explosion erupted nearby.