Chapter Summaries

Xuanyu ambushed Konoha teams, killing Sarutobi and other clan members while sparing three survivors, and Sarutobi Hiruzen began investigating the attacks. As Hiruzen sent more ninja out to find the attacker, Xuanyu watched them leave and prepared to strike again.

• Xuanyu defeated a seven-person team, killed four members including two Sarutobi, and spared three ninja who had shown little hostility toward the Uchiha.
• Yamanaka Yu and the other survivors returned to Konoha with the bodies, and Hiruzen ordered them to stay in the village while Kakashi patrolled its outskirts.
• A week later, a returning team reported that a masked attacker had killed Sarutobi Ichiro, prompting Hiruzen to realize the Sarutobi Clan was being targeted.
• Hiruzen ordered Sarutobi Asuma to investigate clan members on missions and increased patrols, requiring teams of at least three Jonin.
• Xuanyu watched a large group of ninja leave Konoha and prepared to begin his hunt.

Xuanyu ignored Uchiha Hanjō and Uchiha Xia’s warnings and slipped out of Konoha to hunt Sarutobi ninja. After he killed two Sarutobi Clan members and erased the battle’s traces, Kakashi investigated the attack and received another distress signal.

• Uchiha Hanjō and Uchiha Xia urged Xuanyu to cancel his plan, but he insisted the village’s heavy deployment gave him a chance to intimidate the Sarutobi Clan.
• Xuanyu used a Shadow Clone to evade the two ninja watching the estate and headed toward Konoha’s outskirts with his Byakugan active.
• Xuanyu ambushed a five-man squad, killed its two Sarutobi Clan members, and burned away traces of the battle with Black Flames.
• Kakashi arrived with Pakkun, questioned the three surviving ninja, and learned the attacker had left east after using black flames.
• Pakkun detected only a faint scent leading east, but another distress signal appeared before Kakashi could pursue it.

Xuanyu spent the night ambushing members of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito clans while Kakashi and other Konoha ninja failed to catch him. The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other leaders discussed the attacks and questioned whether the Uchiha were involved.

• Kakashi followed distress signals and found dead Sarutobi and Shimura clan members, while Xuanyu used decoy signals and rain to evade pursuit.
• Xuanyu killed dozens of Sarutobi and Shimura ninja, along with members of the Utatane and Mito clans, then headed toward the Land of Earth to pursue five Sarutobi jōnin.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen berated Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui, Sarutobi Asuma, and the others before ordering Konoha ninja back to the village and the recall of Sarutobi clan members.
• After the others left, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura considered the killer's identity and ruled out Ōnoki.
• An Anbu surveillance ninja arrived to report, and Sarutobi Hiruzen asked whether any Uchiha clansmen had left the village at night.

Konoha’s leaders planned to bait the assassin into an ambush, while Xuanyu returned after killing more Sarutobi ninjas. The Headhunting Mission began when Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui, and Hyuga Hiashi to draw out the assassin.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected Danzo’s suggestion to use clan members as bait and planned three teams led by elite ninjas to lure the assassin into an ambush.
• Uchiha Fugaku condemned the Hokage’s surveillance of the Uchiha Clan and insisted that their own plan remain secret, while Itachi listened.
• Xuanyu returned safely to the estate and told Uchiha Hanjō that he had killed five more Sarutobi Jonin.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Sarutobi Aimu and search-party ninjas had vanished, then agreed with Danzo to begin the hunt.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui, and Hyuga Hiashi to lead Sarutobi teams in different directions and hold off the assassin until reinforcements arrived.

Xuanyu sent two Shadow Clones after two teams and went after Hyuga Hiashi’s team himself, intending to strike before Konoha could prepare. Hiashi’s team trapped Xuanyu in an earthen seal, and Sarutobi Hiruzen led reinforcements toward them.

• Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui, and Hyuga Hiashi led three teams of elite ninjas out of Konoha as bait for Xuanyu.
• Xuanyu told Uchiha Hanjō and Uchiha Xia he would leave within an hour, then used a Shadow Clone to slip out of the village unseen.
• Xuanyu created two Shadow Clones and sent them after two teams while he pursued Hyuga Hiashi’s team.
• Hiashi spotted Xuanyu approaching, and his team fought him while sending a signal to Konoha.
• Six Elite Jonin raised earthen walls around Xuanyu, apparently sealing him, while Hiashi remained wary of the easy capture.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the signal from Hiashi’s direction and led more than a dozen Elite Jonin to kill the killer.

Xuan Yu's shadow clone attacked Uchiha Shisui's team and fought him with Black Flames and Shinra Tensei while the real body pursued its mission. Sarutobi Hiruzen redirected his forces toward Shisui, but repeated distress signals from Hyuga Hiashi's team left the situation unresolved.

• Uchiha Shisui led his team to support Hyuga Hiashi, but Xuan Yu's shadow clone ambushed them, killing one shinobi and injuring two.
• Shisui recognized Xuan Yu as the assassin, sent up a signal flare, and engaged him while his team stayed back.
• Xuan Yu's shadow clone used an invisible barrier and Black Flames to counter Shisui's Space Jump, and the two fought to a stalemate.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen changed course toward Shisui's team after receiving its signal and hearing Sarutobi Asuma's assessment.
• Hyuga Hiashi's team sent three more distress signals, prompting Hiruzen to realize they were in danger.

Xuan Yu’s shadow clone broke free and attacked Hyuga Hiashi’s team while the real Xuan Yu confronted Kakashi. Kakashi’s trap failed to harm him, leaving Kakashi to stand alone against the apparently invulnerable assassin.

• Xuan Yu’s shadow clone shattered the Earth Wall seal, killed two ninjas, and fought Hyuga Hiashi while absorbing chakra from nearby ninjas.
• Hyuga Hiashi sent repeated distress signals, prompting Uchiha Shisui to send Sarutobi Hiruzen and others to support him.
• Kakashi noticed the pattern of attacks and suspected the assassin would target his team, then waited for Xuan Yu to appear.
• Xuan Yu revealed himself to Kakashi and tried to attack the Sarutobi Clan ninjas, but Kakashi triggered a trap filled with Exploding Tags.
• Xuan Yu emerged unharmed from the explosion, and Kakashi stepped forward to face him as the other ninjas called for support.

Xuanyu attacked the Sarutobi Clan’s ninjas while Kakashi tried to stop him, and he unsettled Kakashi by claiming Obito was alive and had witnessed Rin’s death. As Kakashi prepared to finish the fight with Lightning Blade, Xuanyu copied the technique, leaving Kakashi shocked.

• Kakashi confronted Xuanyu, but Xuanyu knocked him back and used Banshō Ten'in to pull a fleeing Jonin into danger.
• Kakashi countered Xuanyu’s Great Fireball Technique, but Xuanyu distracted him with claims about Obito and Rin before killing the Jonin with earthen spikes.
• Kakashi regained his focus and urged the surviving ninjas to flee toward Shisui, while Xuanyu’s Black Flames spread over them and drained their Chakra.
• Kakashi gathered his strength to attack Xuanyu with Lightning Blade, but Xuanyu formed a matching technique in his palm and stunned Kakashi.

Xuan Yu’s Shadow Clones fought Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Shisui while Sarutobi Hiruzen’s group rushed between the battle sites, only to discover each opponent was a clone. At Kakashi’s location, Xuan Yu’s real body stood among the fallen, with Kakashi barely alive.

• Kakashi charged Xuan Yu after discovering he could use Lightning Blade without hand seals, and their Lightning Blades collided.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen’s group reached Hyuga Hiashi and joined the fight against Xuan Yu’s Shadow Clone, which eventually dispersed after revealing it was only a clone.
• Hiruzen hurried to Uchiha Shisui’s location, where another Shadow Clone fought the group, killed two Sarutobi Clan Members, and vanished under Hiruzen’s attack.
• Hiruzen realized Xuan Yu’s real body was likely fighting Kakashi and rushed toward his location.
• Xuan Yu’s real body remained standing among the corpses at Kakashi’s location, with Kakashi barely breathing.

Xuanyu defeated Kakashi and offered to spare him in exchange for help viewing Konoha’s Sealing Scroll, promising information about Obito. Kakashi agreed, leaving them bound by a deal and setting a signal for their next meeting.

• Kakashi asked Xuanyu why he had spared him and attacked Sarutobi Clan Members, and Xuanyu said the clan had tried to kill him.
• Xuanyu tried to take Kakashi’s Sharingan, but Kakashi threatened to destroy the eye with the Lightning Release Chakra gathered around it.
• Xuanyu offered to tell Kakashi about Obito if Kakashi helped him view the Sealing Scroll, and he claimed Obito had survived with the help of First Hokage Cells.
• Kakashi resisted giving Xuanyu access to the Forbidden Techniques, but Xuanyu persuaded him by citing Danzo’s experiments and his father’s leaked mission.
• Kakashi agreed to help Xuanyu view the Sealing Scroll and asked him not to attack Konoha’s civilians; Xuanyu accepted, and they agreed on a red-cloth signal near the village gate.

Xuanyu revealed that he belonged to the Akatsuki Organization and escaped before Shisui and the other shinobi arrived. After hearing about the attack, Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered the village's four clans to stay inside Konoha, while Xuanyu returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and told Uchiha Hanjō to reopen the merchant guild in seven days.

• Xuanyu told Kakashi that Akatsuki was the organization he belonged to, then vanished before Shisui and the others arrived.
• Kakashi told Sarutobi Hiruzen that an assassin had attacked the Sarutobi Clan members and claimed to belong to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Xuanyu returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, reassured Uchiha Hanjō and Uchiha Xia, and ordered the merchant guild to reopen in seven days.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other clan leaders discussed the attack, and Hiruzen ordered ninja from their four clans not to leave Konoha.
• Hiruzen announced that the assassin had been driven away, while Uchiha Fuling told Uchiha Hanjō that Sarutobi Clan ninja had stopped accepting missions.
• Senju Hanayu entered Uchiha Hanjō's office with an excited smile.

Senju Hanayu reported that her and Senju Hashirama’s Cellular Potions were ready, and Xuanyu injected Hashirama first. The potion awakened Hashirama’s Wood Release, and the chapter ended as Xuanyu began injecting Hanayu.

• Senju Hanayu told Xuanyu that her and Senju Hashirama’s Cellular Potions had been successfully developed, while Uchiha Xia learned his own potion would take at least half a year.
• Xuanyu brought Hanayu and Hashirama to the underground laboratory, where Hashirama volunteered to receive the first injection.
• After Xuanyu injected Hashirama, the potion fused with his cells, drew out his Chakra, and caused a plant to grow through the floor.
• Xuanyu realized the Uzumaki Cells had stimulated Hashirama’s Senju bloodline and awakened the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
• Hashirama and Hanayu resolved to grow stronger and help Xuanyu, and Xuanyu injected Hanayu’s Cellular Potion.

Hua Yu showed signs of successfully fusing with the Cellular Potion, while Xuanyu arranged for her and Senju Hashirama to recover and train. After Kakashi secretly signaled that Xuanyu could view the Sealing Scroll, Xuanyu sent a Shadow Clone to Kakashi's dwelling to memorize its contents.

• Hua Yu manifested controlled Wood Release after receiving the Cellular Potion and estimated that her fusion would be complete in a month and a half.
• Xuanyu told Hua Yu and Senju Hashirama to rest, promised to find Wood Release techniques for Senju Hashirama, and said he would arrange for him to help outside the village in a year.
• Hua Yu declined Xuanyu's offer to attend the Ninja School, choosing instead to train with him and study Medical Ninjutsu with her Master.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen searched the Sealing Scroll for a technique to counter the killer, while Kakashi privately questioned the Hokage's motives for studying it.
• Xuanyu spotted a red cloth signal at the village entrance and sent a Shadow Clone to Kakashi's dwelling that night to memorize the Sealing Scroll.

Xuanyu persuaded Kakashi to take him to Konoha’s guarded Sealing Scroll by revealing knowledge of Kakashi’s Mangekyo and Kamui. He opened the scroll to memorize its techniques, confirming it was genuine.

• Xuanyu told Kakashi that his Sharingan came from Obito and correctly inferred that Kakashi’s Mangekyo ability was space-related.
• Kakashi led Xuanyu to the concealed building where the Sealing Scroll was guarded, leaving a Shadow Clone to watch the entrance.
• Kakashi took Xuanyu into the basement, where they found the Sealing Scroll among experimental vessels.
• Xuanyu accepted the scroll and opened it while Kakashi urged him to hurry.
• Xuanyu saw the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique first and confirmed the scroll was genuine.

Xuan Yu copied all thirty Forbidden Techniques from Konoha’s Sealing Scroll into his memory and left the secret chamber with Kakashi. After returning to his underground laboratory, his shadow clone transcribed the techniques onto a blank scroll, leaving Xuan Yu with a complete copy.

• Xuan Yu read and memorized the Sealing Scroll’s techniques, including the Cursed Seal Technique, which he hoped might help free Neji and the Hyuga Branch Family from the Caged Bird seal.
• Kakashi reminded Xuan Yu of his promise, and Xuan Yu told him that Obito had survived, joined Akatsuki as Tobi, and caused the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s attack.
• Xuan Yu left Konoha, changed locations several times, and returned to the hospital early the next morning before going to the underground laboratory.
• Xuan Yu’s shadow clone reported that it had memorized all thirty techniques, then copied their hand seals, Chakra pathways, and taboos onto a blank scroll while Xuan Yu watched.

Xuanyu studied the forbidden techniques copied from the Sealing Scroll, focusing on the Flying Thunder God Technique and Spirit Transformation Technique while considering how other techniques could help his allies. He left the chapter planning to visit Owuya Bai about the Cursed Seal Technique and instructing Hua Yu and Hashira to learn Tsunade’s three combination techniques as life-saving methods.

• Xuanyu tested the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and quickly learned the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, then became interested in the Spirit Transformation Technique as a way to cultivate his soul.
• Xuanyu considered the Flying Thunder God Technique and Spirit Transformation Technique his priorities, while deciding he would not use Living Corpse Reincarnation to seek immortality.
• Xuanyu asked Hua Yu whether she could research the Cursed Seal Technique, and she suggested asking her teacher, Owuya Bai, to study a copied portion of it.
• Xuanyu decided to visit Owuya Bai in a couple of days, then studied the Sealing Scroll and concluded that mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique would require understanding Space Power.
• Xuanyu told Hua Yu and Hashira to learn the Yin Seal, Mitotic Regeneration, and Strength of a Hundred Sealings as ways to save their lives.
• Xuanyu tried cultivating the Yin Seal, but his Fourth Tomoe Sharingan absorbed it immediately, and he relied on Nurturing Spirit · Great Thousand Worlds to keep the Sharingan from draining him dry.

Xuanyu struggled to master the Flying Thunder God and Spirit Transformation techniques while Senju Hashirama and Hanayu trained in sealing jutsu. Uchiha Xia arrived hoping to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Xuanyu challenged his assumptions about Minato Namikaze’s achievement.

• Hanayu began forming a Yin Seal mark, while Hashirama found Mitotic Regeneration too difficult to learn.
• Xuanyu memorized the Spirit Transformation and Flying Thunder God techniques, then locked the scrolls in a hidden room accessible only to him and his father.
• Over the next month, Xuanyu made distorted Flying Thunder God marks and erased them with his Black Flames, but made little progress toward mastering the technique.
• Xuanyu also trained his spiritual power with the Spirit Transformation Technique and considered eventually developing a stronger Shadow Clone Technique.
• Uchiha Xia and Shisui visited Xuanyu, and Xia asked to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Xuanyu asked Xia why nobody after Minato Namikaze had successfully mastered the technique.

Xuanyu persuaded Uchiha Xia to learn the Eight Branches Technique and continued practicing the Flying Thunder God marks. He offered Neji a dangerous Cellular Potion to help him grow stronger, and Neji chose to take it to resist the Main House’s oppression.

• Xuanyu convinced Uchiha Xia that the Eight Branches Technique could complement Whirlpool Cells and teach him the technique.
• Uchiha Xia spent more than a day understanding the Eight Branches Technique, while Xuanyu continued practicing Flying Thunder God marks and eventually engraved one successfully.
• Hua Yu told Xuanyu that Neji’s potion was ready, and Xuanyu decided to ask Neji what he wanted before taking further action.
• Xuanyu saw Neji bruised after Main House children used the Caged Bird Cursed Seal against him, but Neji refused his offer to intervene.
• Xuanyu explained the risks and benefits of the Cellular Potion, and Neji chose to take it so he could grow stronger and oppose the Main House.
• Xuanyu injected the Cellular Potion into Neji’s arm.

Xuanyu continued training the Flying Thunder God Technique while Neji endured the painful fusion of Uzumaki cells. Meanwhile, Fugaku gathered Uchiha elites and elders to plan a Coup, leaving Itachi troubled by their decision as preparations neared completion.

• Neji endured severe pain as Uzumaki cells fused in his body, and Hua Yu estimated the process would take about three months.
• Xuanyu improved his Flying Thunder God Mark success rate, planted concealed marks around Konoha, and continued trying to comprehend space.
• Fugaku told Uchiha elites and elders that the Sarutobi Clan had gone too far and that they should prepare for a Coup when Konoha was less vigilant.
• Fugaku refused to involve Uchiha Hanjō's Merchant Guild, then revealed his Mangekyo and claimed he, Shisui, and Itachi would provide the Uchiha's top fighting strength.
• Itachi watched the gathered Uchiha agree to the Coup with a cold, troubled expression as Fugaku began assigning tasks.

Fugaku prepared the Uchiha Clan for a coup by assigning members to monitor Konoha's leaders and telling Itachi to recruit Shisui. Five months later, Xuanyu and his companions had grown stronger, and Xuanyu looked forward to entering the Ninja School while learning that the village might be watching Fugaku's plans.

• Fugaku ordered seven Uchiha members to monitor the movements of Konoha's leading clans and assigned Itachi to watch Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Fugaku told Itachi to persuade Shisui to join the coup and urged Itachi to train for the clan; Itachi resolved to keep Sasuke out of the conflict.
• Over the next five months, Xuanyu improved his Flying Thunder God Mark and Spirit Transformation Technique, absorbed blood and vitality, and continued waiting for his Fifth Tomoe to awaken.
• Hua Yu and Hashira completed their fusion with the Whirlpool Cells and gained greatly increased Chakra, while Xuanyu regretted not obtaining Wood Release techniques earlier.
• Neji's Chakra and abilities improved after cell fusion, and Hyuga Hiashi sent him to the Ninja School.
• Xuanyu learned that people in the village might already be watching Fugaku's preparations, and he looked forward to attending the Ninja School when he turned six.