Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Xuan Yu befriended Gaara and entered his mind to confront the sealed One-Tail Shukaku. After Xuan Yu began absorbing Shukaku’s Chakra, Shukaku unexpectedly encouraged him to absorb it faster.

• Uchiha Xuan Yu approached Gaara and said he wanted to be friends because they had both been called monsters and ostracized.
• Uchiha Xuan Yu used Gaara’s gaze to enter his Spiritual World and discovered that Shukaku’s seal was damaged.
• Shukaku woke and questioned how Uchiha Xuan Yu had entered the Spiritual World.
• Uchiha Xuan Yu attacked Shukaku with black flames that absorbed his Chakra while Gaara remained trapped in an illusion.
• Shukaku stopped resisting after learning Uchiha Xuan Yu had absorbed Kurama’s Chakra and urged him to absorb Shukaku faster.

Xuanyu absorbed some of Shukaku’s Chakra and befriended Gaara, promising to visit him again. After Xuanyu left Sunagakure, Gaara said he would go to Konoha.

• Shukaku urged Xuanyu to absorb more Chakra so he could drain Kurama dry, and Xuanyu agreed to help with Shukaku’s grudge.
• Xuanyu absorbed about a tenth of Shukaku’s Chakra, then left the seal space as Shukaku rested and recovered.
• Xuanyu sensed his eyes approaching a Fourth Tomoe after Shukaku’s Chakra began converting, while Gaara regained consciousness and learned Xuanyu was unharmed.
• Xuanyu reassured Gaara that Shukaku was approachable and said Gaara could sleep peacefully for three days, then shared stories about Konoha with him.
• Uchiha Xia told Xuanyu it was time to leave Sunagakure, and Xuanyu promised Gaara they would meet again.
• Gaara said he would go to Konoha after Xuanyu departed.

After Gaara befriended Xuanyu, Rasa ordered him isolated and punished, while Xuanyu's caravan continued across the desert. Xuanyu exposed an ambush by more than a dozen Jonin, and Uchiha Xia recognized their masked leader as Sarutobi Masayashi.

• Rasa learned that Gaara had spoken with Xuanyu and forbade Gaara from meeting outsiders, then ordered him locked away for three days.
• Yashamaru took Gaara to the sandstone house, where Gaara recalled Xuanyu's promise that he could sleep and drifted off.
• As Xuanyu's caravan crossed the desert at night, Xuanyu spotted more than a dozen hidden ninjas ahead and warned Uchiha Xia.
• The attackers launched shuriken at the caravan, but Uchiha Xia deflected them and the Uchiha Trading Company regrouped without injuries.
• A masked leader confronted the caravan with more than a dozen Jonin behind him, and Uchiha Xia identified him as Sarutobi Masayashi.

Xuanyu confronted Sarutobi Masayashi, a powerful Sarutobi Clan ninja sent to kill the Uchiha escort, and began fighting him while Uchiha Xia faced the other attackers. Xuanyu injured Masayashi and countered his fire techniques, and the battle continued after Masayashi’s face was exposed.

• Xuanyu recognized Sarutobi Masayashi, who ordered his dozen-odd jonin to surround and kill the Uchiha escort.
• Xuanyu asked to fight Masayashi himself while Uchiha Xia took on the other ninjas.
• Xuanyu rushed Masayashi and sent him flying with a Leaf Whirlwind kick, cracking his arm.
• Masayashi struck Xuanyu with a Flame Bullet and followed with shuriken, but Xuanyu blocked the attacks and copied his Fire Dragon Flame Bullet technique.
• Their fire dragons collided in an explosion that burned away Masayashi’s face covering, revealing his resemblance to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Xuanyu fought Sarutobi Masayashi and then faced seven Jonin after they joined forces against him. He opened three gates and overwhelmed the attackers, while Masayashi discovered that Xuanyu’s black flames were draining his Chakra.

• Xuanyu wounded Sarutobi Masayashi with flames and shuriken, prompting Masayashi to call for help and order the Jonin to kill him.
• Six Jonin joined Masayashi in surrounding Xuanyu, while Uchiha Xia tried to break away from his own opponents to assist.
• Xuanyu removed his weighted rings and spread black flames toward the Jonin, then opened the Open Gate, Gate of Healing, and Gate of Life.
• Xuanyu defeated the first three Jonin in a few moves, and Masayashi ordered the others to attack him from a distance with ninjutsu.
• Masayashi felt his Chakra draining and realized Xuanyu’s black flames were absorbing it.

Xuanyu killed two Sarutobi jonin before Sarutobi Masayashi and four others trapped him inside an Earth Prison Dome. With Uchiha Xia preparing to hold off the enemy, Xuanyu awakened a Fourth Tomoe and began using Shinra Tensei as the prison's ten-breath countdown ended.

• Xuanyu killed two jonin, forcing Sarutobi Masayashi and the four remaining ninja to retreat and surround him.
• Sarutobi Masayashi and the others layered Earth Prison Dome seals around Xuanyu, while the remaining Sarutobi ninja turned their attention to Uchiha Xia.
• Xuanyu told Uchiha Xia he would escape in ten breaths, and Sarutobi Masayashi agreed to wait, confident the seal would hold.
• Inside the dark prison, Xuanyu's Fourth Tomoe formed and began spinning in his eyes.
• At the tenth breath, Xuanyu said, "Shin. Ra. Ten. Sei!"

Xuanyu broke out of the earthen prison with Shinra Tensei and used his powers to repel the Sarutobi attackers. After defeating several of them, he targeted the fleeing Sarutobi Masayashi with Banshō Ten'in.

• Xuanyu used Shinra Tensei to shatter the earthen prison and flatten the ground around him.
• Sarutobi Masayashi ordered the others to attack, but Xuanyu reflected their ninjutsu back at them.
• Xuanyu struck one of the injured Sarutobi ninja and sent him flying.
• Two Sarutobi ninja charged Xuanyu to buy Sarutobi Masayashi time to escape, but Xuanyu blasted them away with Shinra Tensei.
• Xuanyu raised his palm toward the fleeing Sarutobi Masayashi and used Banshō Ten'in.

Xuanyu used his repelling power to defeat Sarutobi Masayashi, then joined Uchiha Xia in killing the remaining Sarutobi ninjas. Sarutobi Masayashi was left crippled and forced to watch his clansmen die.

• Sarutobi Masayashi tried to attack Xuanyu while being pulled toward him, but an invisible force repelled his weapons and blasted him away.
• Sarutobi Masayashi struggled to rise, but Xuanyu struck his knees with shuriken and left him unable to stand.
• Sarutobi Masayashi urged the other Sarutobi ninjas to flee and report Xuanyu's power to Hokage-sama, but Xuanyu charged into their ranks.
• Uchiha Xia restrained the ninjas who tried to escape while Xuanyu killed the Sarutobi fighters.
• Xuanyu killed the remaining wounded ninjas as Sarutobi Masayashi watched and cursed the Uchiha Clan.

Xuanyu killed Sarutobi Masayashi and the other Sarutobi attackers, then treated the wounded Merchant Guild members and altered their memories to conceal what had happened. He and Uchiha Xia prepared for Sarutobi Hiruzen to investigate the missing Sarutobi Jonin.

• Xuanyu challenged Sarutobi Masayashi over the Sarutobi Clan’s ambush and their intention to kill the Uchiha group.
• Sarutobi Masayashi declared that he regretted not destroying the Uchiha Clan during the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, and Xuanyu killed him with a kunai.
• Uchiha Xia realized the Third Hokage had ordered the attack, while Xuanyu treated the injured Merchant Guild members with the Mystical Palm Technique.
• Xuanyu used genjutsu to make the wounded believe they had faced Rogue Ninja in a robbery, and burned the evidence of the battle.
• Uchiha Xia understood that Xuanyu was preparing for Sarutobi Hiruzen to interrogate the survivors after the loss of more than ten Jonin.

Xuanyu and Uchiha Xia ensured the injured men’s memories of the ambush had been altered so they would not expose the Sarutobi Clan’s involvement. After the men woke and recalled the planted story of rogue ninjas, Uchiha Xia worried that Xuanyu had harmed himself using forbidden techniques.

• Uchiha Xia asked whether Xuanyu’s genjutsu could leave flaws that might let the injured men remember the ambush, and Xuanyu reassured him that the Third Hokage would not press the matter too hard.
• After resting overnight, the injured men woke and remembered being ambushed by rogue ninjas who fled when Uchiha Xia drove them off.
• The men speculated that the attackers were rogue ninjas from Sunagakure and reassured Uchiha Xia that such bandits were common, confirming that Xuanyu’s altered memories had taken hold.
• Uchiha Xia told the men to recover and said they would set out that night, then checked whether Xuanyu was all right.
• Xuanyu denied using a forbidden technique, but Uchiha Xia insisted that he had used two techniques to enhance his taijutsu and reflect ninjutsu.

Xuanyu explained his Fourth Tomoe and its abilities to Uchiha Xia, then led the group back to Konoha. Their return was noticed by hidden observers, and Sarutobi Hiruzen reacted with shock when he heard the news.

• Xuanyu told Uchiha Xia that his rebounding ability came from his Fourth Tomoe, and Xia was stunned by the unprecedented eye.
• Xuanyu confirmed that his black flames came from his Third Tomoe, leaving Uchiha Xia envious of his abilities.
• After resting, Xuanyu's group resumed their journey, and Xuanyu hunted wild beasts to supply Blood Qi to his active Sharingan.
• Seven or eight days later, Xuanyu and his group returned to Konoha, where Xuanyu sensed four hidden ninjas watching them.
• A ninja reported the group's return to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who smashed his Smoking Pipe against the desk in shock.

Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Uchiha Xia and Xuanyu had returned, while the Sarutobi Clan team sent to kill them had vanished. Xuanyu revealed the attack to Uchiha Hanjō, who grew furious, as Sarutobi Asuma began investigating the caravan.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen concealed his anger from an Anbu ninja after learning Uchiha Xia and Xuanyu had returned.
• Sarutobi Asuma told Sarutobi Hiruzen that the caravan was back, but the team led by Sarutobi Masayashi had sent no word.
• Sarutobi Asuma suggested Uchiha Xia might have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered an inquiry into the caravan’s casualties and experiences.
• Uchiha Xia told Uchiha Hanjō that Sarutobi Clan ninjas had attacked them and that Xuanyu’s group had killed their attackers.
• Sarutobi Asuma went to the Merchant Guild and asked a monitoring ninja whether everyone in Uchiha Xia’s caravan had returned safely.

Sarutobi Asuma tried to interrogate Uchiha Fuling about Uchiha Xia’s mission using genjutsu, seeking clues about the missing Sarutobi Masayashi and his squad. Fuling resisted the genjutsu, learned that Sarutobi Asuma had sent assassins after them, and planned to report the plot to the president and Xia.

• Sarutobi Asuma learned that everyone on Uchiha Xia’s team had returned, then arranged for a genjutsu ninja to question them.
• The genjutsu ninja lured Uchiha Fuling into an alley and put him under genjutsu, but Fuling secretly broke free and hid his awareness.
• Sarutobi Asuma questioned Fuling about the mission, and Fuling claimed they had faced only one weak group of bandits.
• Sarutobi Asuma revealed that Sarutobi Masayashi’s squad had been sent to kill Uchiha Xia and his team, then left to question the others.
• After the genjutsu ninja released him, Uchiha Fuling decided to report the attempted assassination to the president and Xia.

Uchiha Fuling reported that Sarutobi Asuma had questioned him about missing Sarutobi Jonin, and Uchiha Hanjō’s group revealed that they had killed the attackers. The Uchiha leaders decided to keep their knowledge hidden and continue developing quietly, while Fuling urged them to leave Konoha.

• Sarutobi Asuma questioned people leaving the Merchant Guild but found no information about Sarutobi Masayashi and the missing Jonin.
• Uchiha Hanjō, Uchiha Xia, and Xuan Yu agreed to pretend they knew nothing and develop the Uchiha Clan’s strength in secret.
• Uchiha Fuling returned to the Merchant Guild and told Uchiha Hanjō’s group that a genjutsu ninja had questioned him on Sarutobi Asuma’s orders.
• Uchiha Xia confirmed that the Uchiha had killed the Sarutobi Jonin who attacked them.
• Uchiha Fuling said he had answered Sarutobi Asuma truthfully about the escort mission and urged the Uchiha to break away from Konoha.

Uchiha Xia warned Uchiha Fuling and Uchiha Hanjō that leaving Konoha before they were strong enough could make the Uchiha Clan a target like the Uzumaki Clan. Later, Xuanyu visited Naruto and entered his spiritual seal, where he absorbed the Nine-Tails' Chakra as the fox complained about being sealed and called evil.

• Uchiha Hanjō rejected Uchiha Fuling's proposal to leave Konoha, and Uchiha Xia explained that the Uchiha should wait until they had enough strength to choose their future.
• Uchiha Xia cited Whirlpool Country's destruction as a warning, and Uchiha Fuling agreed to keep the conversation secret and train harder.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Sarutobi-lineage ninja to search for Sarutobi Masayashi's missing team, which Xuanyu knew would never return.
• Xuanyu shared grilled fish and stories about the outside world with Naruto, telling him about Gaara, a child who was also rejected and had a tailed beast inside him.
• Xuanyu entered Naruto's spiritual seal, where the Nine-Tails recognized the lingering scent of Shukaku and Xuanyu absorbed its Chakra while listening to its complaints.

Uchiha Xuan Yu befriended the Nine-Tails while absorbing its Chakra, then learned that Sarutobi Hiruzen was publicly portraying missing Sarutobi Clan members as heroes on secret missions. Xuanyu ordered Uchiha Xia to investigate every mission the clan accepted, preparing to expose their actions.

• Xuanyu talked with the Nine-Tails, absorbed its Chakra while honoring his promise to Shukaku, and encouraged Kurama to speak with Naruto.
• Xuanyu returned to his body, digested the Nine-Tails' Chakra, and increased his Byakugan's detection range.
• Rumors spread that missing Sarutobi Clan members had vanished while serving Konoha on classified missions, and villagers praised them as heroes.
• Uchiha Xia condemned Sarutobi Hiruzen for disguising an assassination attempt as a secret mission, while Xuanyu noted that the story only needed to persuade civilians.
• Xuanyu told Uchiha Xia to send trusted people to investigate every mission accepted by Sarutobi Clan members.

Xuanyu decided to strike back at the Sarutobi Clan and secretly left Konoha to target a mission party. He found Sarutobi Aimu and his companions resting in the forest, where Aimu arrogantly dismissed the need for a lookout.

• Xuanyu told Uchiha Xia and Uchiha Hanjō that he would attack Sarutobi Clan members to protect the Uchiha Clan.
• Uchiha Xia arranged for Uchiha Fuling to track Sarutobi Clan members’ missions, and Fuling reported a B-Rank escort mission led by Sarutobi Aimu.
• Xuanyu decided to handle the mission party alone and left a Shadow Clone at home before slipping out of Konoha at night.
• Xuanyu followed the party toward the Land of Earth, disguised in a Monkey Mask and red cloak, and located them around a campfire.
• Sarutobi Aimu refused a companion’s suggestion to post a lookout, claiming that no one in the Land of Fire would attack the Sarutobi Clan.

Xuanyu ambushed and killed Sarutobi Aimu, two Sarutobi ninjas, and a Land of Earth merchant who was allied with the Sarutobi Clan, then erased the evidence. After he returned to Konoha, his Shadow Clone suddenly dispersed while Uchiha Xia and Uchiha Hanjō waited with it, leaving them fearing something had happened to him.

• Xuanyu overheard Sarutobi Aimu boast that no one in the Land of Fire would dare attack a Sarutobi Clan member.
• Xuanyu appeared in a Monkey Mask and declared that he had come to kill the group, but Sarutobi Aimu and the Land of Earth merchant mocked him.
• Xuanyu used Black Flames to overpower the three chunin and the merchant, then killed them, including Sarutobi Aimu.
• Xuanyu burned their clothing and cleared away the traces of the killings before vanishing into the night.
• Xuanyu returned to Konoha shortly after midnight, where his Shadow Clone dispersed while Uchiha Xia and Uchiha Hanjō waited with it.

Xuan Yu continued targeting the Sarutobi Clan while checking the progress of Hanayu’s cellular experiments. After learning that three Sarutobi Jonin were heading to Kirigakure, he went out to intercept them, and the next day a team of ninja encountered his ambush in the forest.

• Xuan Yu told Uchiha Xia that he had killed his targets without leaving any clues, then slept as usual.
• During training, Xuan Yu discovered that Neji could open the first gate of the Eight Gates Formation.
• Hanayu reported that her, her brother’s, and Neji’s cellular potions were nearing perfection, while Uzumaki Cells resisted fusion with Uchiha Cells.
• Uchiha Fuling reported that three Sarutobi Jonin would leave for Kirigakure and that Sarutobi ninja would return from a mission with ninja from other clans.
• Xuan Yu decided to intercept the three Jonin and later kill the Sarutobi ninja traveling with others, promising to spare anyone who did not offend him.
• The next day, Xuan Yu waited in the forest, where three shuriken blocked a passing ninja team and a hoarse voice declared that the road was closed.

Xuan Yu ambushed and killed Sarutobi Clan shinobi on their routes back to Konoha, then intercepted another squad. As the second fight continued, Yamanaka Yu's Mind Transfer Technique faltered against his terrifying mental power.

• Xuan Yu confirmed the identities of three Sarutobi Clan Jonin, defeated them, and killed them after revealing he had slain Sarutobi Masayashi's group.
• Xuan Yu erased the evidence, traveled to another route to Konoha, and waited overnight for more Sarutobi Clan members.
• The next day, Xuan Yu intercepted a seven-person squad led by Sarutobi Zheng Bei and fought back after Zheng Bei attacked him.
• Yamanaka Yu used the Mind Transfer Technique but was overwhelmed by the pressure of Xuan Yu's mental power.