Chapter Summaries

Hizashi Hyuga confronted Hiashi Hyuga over the Main Family’s control of the Branch Family and defended his decision to let Chiyu train Neji. Five days later, Kushina Uzumaki continued teaching Kakashi the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique, while Chiyu watched helplessly.

• Hiashi Hyuga accused Hizashi Hyuga of endangering the clan by letting Chiyu take Neji as his disciple, but Hizashi defended his choice as a way to help Neji protect himself.
• Hizashi Hyuga told Hiashi Hyuga that the Caged Bird Seal had destroyed their brotherly bond and condemned Neji to a fate he could not control, then left to check on his son.
• Hizashi Hyuga recalled Hiashi Hyuga’s youthful promise to change how the Main Family treated the Branch Family and hoped Chiyu could make Neji’s life easier.
• Five days later, Kushina Uzumaki scolded and hit Kakashi for failing to control his Chakra while practicing the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique.
• Kakashi looked to Chiyu for help, but Chiyu stayed quiet because Kushina Uzumaki had previously punished him for interrupting her lessons.

Hizashi Hyuga visited Chiyu with the infant Neji and explained the Hyuga clan’s Caged Bird Seal and Neji’s coming fate as a branch-family member. Chiyu promised to give Neji a choice and suggested Kushina could remove the seal, leaving her uncertain about whether she could.

• Hizashi Hyuga brought Neji to visit his future master, Chiyu, and said they could hold a formal apprenticeship ceremony when Neji turned three.
• Chiyu told Hizashi that a ceremony was unnecessary and asked if he feared Neji would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
• Hizashi explained the Hyuga main and branch family system and how the seal could control branch-family members, leaving Kushina Uzumaki distressed for Neji.
• Chiyu promised he would not let Neji be left without choices and said Neji could decide whether to accept his fate or break free of it.
• Chiyu suggested Kushina could use her sealing expertise to remove the Caged Bird Seal, and Kushina uncertainly agreed.

Chiyu confronted Hizashi Hyuga for refusing Kushina Uzumaki’s chance to remove Neji’s Caged Bird Seal, accusing him of blind loyalty to the Hyuga Clan. Hizashi reconsidered his fear of resisting the Main Family as he remembered the sacrifices his Branch Family had endured.

• Hizashi Hyuga rejected the offer to remove Neji’s Caged Bird Seal, saying it would break Hyuga Clan rules and make him and Neji sinners.
• Chiyu called Hizashi foolish and accused him of denying Neji the chance to choose a different fate despite agreeing to let Chiyu teach him.
• Chiyu said he would not take Neji as a disciple if Hizashi expected him to accept injustice and resign himself to fate.
• Hizashi remembered how Neji’s mother had been sent to the battlefield as a Branch Family member and died, while he had hated the Main Family but lacked the courage to resist.
• Chiyu urged Hizashi to consider whether his sacrifices had been worthwhile, leaving Hizashi breathing unevenly with clenched fists.

Chiyu persuaded Hizashi Hyuga to let Neji choose his own path and learn under Chiyu rather than inherit his father's resignation to the Hyuga Clan's system. The chapter ended with Chiyu explaining the clan's weaknesses to Kushina Uzumaki and Kakashi, while revealing that he knew how to remove the Caged Bird Seal.

• Chiyu scolded Hizashi Hyuga for accepting the Hyuga Clan's oppression and risking Neji's future by passing on the same fatalism.
• Hizashi Hyuga realized he wanted Neji to take control of his own fate and asked Chiyu to guide him.
• Chiyu agreed to teach Neji, and Hizashi Hyuga left with Neji after their conversation.
• Kushina Uzumaki asked why Chiyu had claimed she could remove the Caged Bird Seal, and Chiyu said he could do it but would not be believed if he claimed the skill himself.
• Chiyu criticized the Hyuga Clan's division between the Main Family and Branch Family, arguing that it wasted talent and weakened the clan.

Chiyu prepared to take office as captain of the newly completed Konoha Defense Force while planning how to secure his finances and preserve his Mangekyō Sharingan. He told Orochimaru about the Owl Organization, and Orochimaru agreed to join it if he eventually left Konoha.

• Chiyu weighed saving Witness Points for the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan as his eyesight began to blur, especially in his right eye.
• Danzo told Chiyu that the Konoha Defense Force headquarters was complete and that he would take office alongside Shisui Uchiha the next day.
• Danzo assigned Root ninja to accompany Chiyu so he could establish his authority over Shisui Uchiha and the new department.
• Chiyu told Orochimaru about the Owl Organization and his plan to make money from the Uchiha Clan.
• Orochimaru said he would join Chiyu's organization if he left Konoha and planned to visit the Konoha Defense Force the next day.

Chiyu took charge of the newly established Konoha Defense Force, arriving with thirty Root ninja as Minato Namikaze announced his appointment and Shisui Uchiha’s as vice-captain. Chiyu began explaining the force’s duties to the crowd in his usual stern manner.

• Chiyu dressed in his ninja uniform, said goodbye to Kushina Uzumaki, and went to Root, where Danzo assigned him thirty Root ninja.
• Chiyu led the Root ninja to the Konoha Defense Force headquarters, where Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shisui Uchiha, and a group of Anbu had gathered.
• Orochimaru arrived and exchanged greetings with Chiyu before Minato Namikaze announced the new department and appointed Chiyu captain and Shisui Uchiha vice-captain.
• Shisui Uchiha thanked Minato Namikaze and promised to serve Konoha, receiving only scattered applause from the crowd.
• Chiyu addressed the crowd in a stern, imposing manner and began explaining the Konoha Defense Force’s duties.

Chiyu announced the Konoha Defense Force’s expanded authority and proposed a bail regulation that let some arrested ninjas pay to leave prison. Minato Namikaze, pressured by Orochimaru, the villagers, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, agreed after Shisui Uchiha also gave his approval.

• Chiyu told the villagers that the Konoha Defense Force would establish regulations and arrest ninjas suspected of crimes, taking over the Konoha Military Police Force’s authority.
• Chiyu announced that eligible arrested ninjas could pay bail, with the proceeds divided between the Defense Force and Konoha’s construction funds.
• Minato Namikaze objected that Chiyu could not make regulations unilaterally and said Shisui Uchiha had to jointly approve them before Minato could authorize them.
• Orochimaru backed the bail proposal, and the villagers praised it as a way to save public funds and raise money for Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi signaled Minato to approve the regulation, and Shisui agreed when Minato asked his opinion.

Chiyu’s bail-payment regulation was approved and implemented, strengthening his public standing as captain of the Konoha Defense Force. After Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Orochimaru to persuade Chiyu to support Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru refused, and Hiruzen left in anger.

• Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shisui Uchiha approved Chiyu’s bail-payment regulation, and Minato announced it would take effect in Konoha.
• At the Konoha Defense Force office, Hiruzen warned Chiyu about announcing the regulation without consulting Minato, while Minato reminded him to coordinate decisions with Shisui.
• Orochimaru made a pointed remark about older leaders stepping aside, leaving Hiruzen visibly displeased.
• After Minato left, Hiruzen asked Orochimaru whether he resented being passed over for Hokage and urged him to persuade Chiyu to assist Minato.
• Orochimaru denied that he would interfere with Chiyu’s choices and questioned Minato’s ability to lead, so Hiruzen left angrily.

Chiyu intimidated Shisui Uchiha and made clear that he intended to crush the Uchiha Clan, despite Shisui's appointment to the Konoha Defense Force. He began recruiting twenty ninja for the force and called Shisui and the Anbu to assign their duties.

• Chiyu warned Shisui Uchiha not to interfere with him and declared that his hatred of the Uchiha Clan would end only when they could no longer rise again.
• Chiyu revealed that he knew Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan technique was Kotoamatsukami and threatened to take his eyes if Shisui used it on him.
• Shisui Uchiha deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan and was left feeling powerless as Chiyu left the office.
• Chiyu sent thirty Root ninja to post recruitment notices across Konoha, seeking twenty recruits for the Konoha Defense Force with benefits matching those of Root ninja.
• After the Root ninja returned, Chiyu summoned Shisui Uchiha and the Anbu to join his Root ninja for duty assignments.

Chiyu organized the Konoha Defense Force under his control while Shisui Uchiha struggled to assert authority as vice captain. After arranging a plan to provoke Uchiha patrol members into arrestable behavior, Chiyu's scheme began to unfold on the force's first day of patrols.

• Chiyu and Shisui Uchiha divided fifty Root and Anbu ninja into ten patrol squads, with each squad containing three Root ninja and two Anbu ninja.
• Chiyu announced that only he and Shisui could command the force and ordered patrols to arrest people involved in crimes or potentially criminal activity.
• Shisui opposed appointing squad captains immediately and decided to recruit ninja of his own after Chiyu revealed he had already begun recruiting.
• Chiyu told Danzo to provoke Uchiha ninja during patrols so the force could arrest them, and Danzo agreed to arrange it covertly.
• On the force's first patrol day, three Uchiha ninja complained about the new force and Fugaku before hearing unusual voices from an alley.

Danzo and Chiyu used staged provocations to have Uchiha Clan ninja arrested by the Konoha Defense Force, while Shisui Uchiha confronted Chiyu over the arrests. The chapter ended with Shisui learning that the prisoners had been taken to Root Prison.

• Three Uchiha Clan ninja threatened villagers who insulted their clan, and Root ninja arrested them after the villagers accused them of making threats.
• A Root ninja broke one Uchiha Clan ninja’s arm when he resisted, and the crowd praised Lord Chiyu’s Konoha Defense Force for treating everyone equally.
• Danzo learned that his staged arrests had succeeded across Konoha, with fifteen Uchiha Clan ninja arrested on the first day and half injured.
• The arrested Uchiha Clan ninja were held in dark, cramped cells in Root Prison, where some began to break down.
• Shisui Uchiha confronted Chiyu about the arrests, but Chiyu challenged him to provide evidence and defended the villagers’ right to speak.
• Shisui Uchiha asked where the prisoners had been taken, and Chiyu told him they were in Root Prison.

Chiyu imprisoned Uchiha Clan members in Root Prison and demanded bail, prompting Shisui Uchiha to ask Uchiha Fugaku how to respond. Fugaku chose to pay, arguing that tolerating Chiyu’s open targeting was safer than provoking secret retaliation from Chiyu and Danzo, and Shisui left with the bail money.

• Chiyu told Shisui Uchiha that the arrested Uchiha Clan members would be released after three days or their relatives could pay bail.
• Shisui Uchiha reported the arrests to Uchiha Fugaku, who explained that Chiyu and Danzo had likely arranged the provocations and used the bail rule to target the clan.
• Uchiha Fugaku told Shisui Uchiha to pay the bail rather than seek evidence or involve Minato Namikaze, whose position as Hokage remained weak.
• Shisui Uchiha took the money Fugaku had prepared and left to bail out the imprisoned clan members.
• Uchiha Fugaku considered Chiyu’s open targeting manageable and said he would even arrange for Uchiha Clan members to be caught if necessary.

Shisui Uchiha paid bail to free eighteen Uchiha prisoners, but their treatment in Root Prison left them shaken and resentful toward him. He began patrolling Konoha to protect his clansmen, while Chiyu let him neglect his Konoha Defense Force duties and continued Danzo's plan.

• Shisui Uchiha paid Chiyu two million ryo, and Chiyu ordered the release of the eighteen imprisoned Uchiha.
• Chiyu reflected on keeping the bail money and thought about Yahiko, Pakura, and Raiga Kurosuki, who were enduring a storm aboard a merchant ship.
• Shisui Uchiha met the released Uchiha and learned from Uchiha Kangjiang that Root had confined them in a lightless room filled with terrifying sounds.
• Uchiha Kangjiang blamed Shisui Uchiha for failing to help, and Shisui resolved to protect at least some of his clansmen.
• Shisui Uchiha began patrolling Konoha instead of staying at the Konoha Defense Force, stopping Root ninja from arresting Uchiha.
• Chiyu dismissed Shisui Uchiha's actions as foolish and told Root to continue carrying out Danzo's plan.

After stabilizing the Konoha Defense Force and keeping the Uchiha Clan in check, Chiyu prepared to leave for Ryūchi Cave to learn Sage Art. He left Kakashi in charge of the force and went to inform Orochimaru before departing.

• Over two months, Chiyu grew the Konoha Defense Force, earned more than fifty million ryō in bail money, and established control over the force while Shisui Uchiha remained under his watch.
• Minato Namikaze began reforming the Anbu, while Danzo found himself unable to interfere and Orochimaru stayed at his base conducting research.
• Chiyu told Kushina Uzumaki and Kakashi that he planned to train at Ryūchi Cave and asked Kakashi to oversee the Konoha Defense Force.
• Chiyu urged Kakashi to develop political acumen by managing the force and assured him he would provide support.
• After estimating that his training might take a few months, Chiyu left home to tell Orochimaru about his plans.

Chiyu told Orochimaru and Danzo he planned to leave Konoha for Ryūchi Cave to train in Sage Mode, arguing that it would help him prepare for future threats and resume targeting the Uchiha Clan later. Danzo agreed that the plan had advantages but questioned whether Chiyu still truly served Root.

• Chiyu told Orochimaru he planned to train in Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave, and Orochimaru warned him about the danger of petrification.
• Chiyu asked Orochimaru to look after Kushina and Kakashi while he was away, and Orochimaru agreed.
• Chiyu told Danzo he planned to leave Konoha and have Kakashi serve as acting captain of the Konoha Defense Force.
• Chiyu persuaded Danzo that his absence would let the Uchiha Clan lower their guard so they could be targeted again after he returned.
• Danzo grew suspicious of Chiyu's influence over him and asked whether Chiyu's heart was still with Root.

Chiyu left Danzo's office after asserting his independence, then appointed Kakashi acting captain of the Konoha Defense Force while he prepared to leave Konoha. Shisui Uchiha welcomed Chiyu's absence, believing Kakashi would be only a symbolic replacement.

• Danzo questioned Chiyu's loyalty, but Chiyu showed him the empty-shell Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and persuaded him to let the Uchiha Clan have room to breathe.
• After Chiyu left, Danzo worried that he had lost control of a powerful and potentially dangerous subordinate, while Chiyu considered joining Minato Namikaze's camp if Danzo turned against him.
• Chiyu returned home, told Kushina Uzumaki that he would take Kakashi to assume his post the next day, and trained in Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave through the night.
• Chiyu took Kakashi to the Konoha Defense Force and explained that its Root and ordinary ninjas would obey Kakashi, while Orochimaru could help if needed.
• Chiyu gathered the force's one hundred members and named Kakashi acting captain with all his authority while he was away.
• Shisui Uchiha was pleased that Chiyu would leave and assumed Kakashi would only hold the captain's position in name.

Chiyu left Konoha to train in Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave, where the White Snake warned him about the deadly trials. After Tagorihime welcomed him with a feast, Chiyu attacked her, suspecting the food was part of the test.

• Chiyu appointed Kakashi acting captain of the Konoha Defense Force and asked Shisui Uchiha to look after him.
• Chiyu summoned the White Snake and asked it to use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to take him to Ryūchi Cave for Sage Mode training.
• The White Snake warned Chiyu that Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode trials had killed every previous seeker, then summoned him there and left him to continue alone.
• Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime observed Chiyu's arrival and discussed making him pass the cave's trials.
• Tagorihime welcomed Chiyu to the palace and offered him food, but Chiyu attacked her with Thunder Breathing, reasoning that killing her might count as passing the trial.

Chiyu passed Tagorihime’s trial by refusing her food and cleared Ichikishimahime’s boulder puzzle by using her to fill the final hole. After defeating Tagitsuhime’s surprise attack, he learned that her trial would test his resolve with Sage Art illusions.

• Chiyu rejected Tagorihime’s suspicious food, and she admitted he had passed her trial before vanishing into the forest.
• Chiyu followed Ichikishimahime into a cave and filled the boulder’s holes with matching stones, but found no stone for the last one.
• Chiyu pressed Ichikishimahime’s face into the final hole, clearing the trial and prompting her to explain the intended solution.
• Tagitsuhime ambushed Chiyu, but he struck her with Thunder Breathing before Ichikishimahime stopped him from killing her.
• Ichikishimahime explained that Tagitsuhime’s trial would test Chiyu’s resolve by making him experience illusions through Sage Art Chakra.

Chiyu passed Tagitsuhime’s trial and met the White Snake Sage, who revealed that Chiyu had disrupted the ninja world’s predetermined fate and offered to pass on her dragon power. Chiyu accepted the Natural Energy test to learn Sage Mode, and the chapter ended as the White Snake Sage warned that failure would turn him into a stone snake statue.

• Tagitsuhime recovered from Chiyu’s attack, bit his arm, and subjected him to an illusion of accusations from his parents, Kakashi, Kushina Uzumaki, and Orochimaru, which he cut apart without hesitation.
• Tagorihime told Chiyu he had passed all the trials, and he entered the temple to meet the White Snake Sage.
• The White Snake Sage explained that Chiyu had changed events and offered him dragon power, but Chiyu said he only wanted to learn Sage Mode and Sage Art.
• The White Snake Sage injected Natural Energy into Chiyu, causing snake scales to appear, then warned him that failure would transform him into a stone statue.

Chiyu struggled to suppress the Natural Energy injected into him at Ryūchi Cave while Kakashi managed the Konoha Defense Force in his absence. After Shisui thanked Kakashi for warning him not to overstep, Kakashi went to Chiyu’s home and found Kushina dry-heaving.

• The White Snake Sage injected Chiyu with Natural Energy, and he fought to suppress it as his body began developing snake scales.
• Over fifteen days, Shisui Uchiha bypassed Kakashi’s authority, reorganized ninja, and reduced bail payments for captured Uchiha.
• Kakashi warned Shisui that Chiyu would undo his changes when he returned, and Shisui thanked him before leaving.
• Kakashi bought Pacific saury and eggplant and went to Chiyu’s home, where he found Kushina Uzumaki dry-heaving at the sink.