Chapter Summaries

After Chuan Jie died, Hatake Sakumo led the injured group toward the coast while watching for both their pursuers and Hiruko. Hiruko returned to Kumogakure to draw more ninja into the hunt, as the Third Raikage prepared to pressure Konoha and the group stopped to rest.

• Chuan Jie died, and Hatake Sakumo sealed his body in a scroll before leading the group toward the coast.
• Uchiha Yū warned Hatake Sakumo that Hiruko had attacked him for his bloodline limit, and Sakumo ordered everyone to stay together.
• Hiruko returned to Kumogakure to lure ninja into pursuing Hatake Sakumo and capture Uchiha Yū.
• Dodai urged the Third Raikage to demand Hatake Sakumo's punishment or threaten war, and the Raikage ordered A to deliver the ultimatum to Ōnoki.
• The Third Raikage led a team to investigate strange escape clues while Uchiha Yū's injured group continued onward.
• Uchiha Yū's group rested in a forest after a day of travel, with Yū keeping watch using his Sharingan.

Uchiha Yū urged Hatake Sakumo to abandon the gravely ill Ito Yuna, but Sakumo refused and ordered the team to keep moving. The Third Raikage caught up and confronted Sakumo while Yū attacked a Kumogakure jonin from the shadows.

• Uchiha Yū noticed Ito Yuna's worsening condition and advised Hatake Sakumo to leave her behind, but Sakumo refused and told Yū to stabilize her injuries.
• Uchiha Yū sensed an approaching enemy, spotted the Third Raikage, and warned the team to prepare for battle.
• The Third Raikage challenged Hatake Sakumo and attacked with Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite as Sakumo prepared to meet him.
• Uchiha Yū hid in the shadows, launched a Great Fireball Jutsu at a Kumogakure jonin, and rushed in to attack behind the flames.

Uchiha Yū fought off a group of Kumogakure jonin, killing Muhara and poisoning Qinghe, but the surviving enemies tried to hold him in place until the Third Raikage arrived. The battle continued as they raised stone pillars to trap him.

• Qinghe learned that Uchiha Yū outmatched him in close combat, then ordered four jonin to attack together.
• Uchiha Yū dodged the Cloud Shinobi's Earth Release attacks and killed Muhara with the Mysterious Peacock Method.
• Qinghe and the two remaining jonin switched to Lightning Release, and Qinghe's lightning attack exposed him to radiation from Uchiha Yū's chakra.
• Qinghe realized he had been poisoned and warned his teammates to keep their distance while they delayed Uchiha Yū until the Third Raikage returned.
• The two jonin used Earth Release to raise stone pillars around Uchiha Yū and try to trap him.

Uchiha Yū fought through Qinghe’s lightning and broke through an Earth Wall to reach him, but Qinghe detonated his explosive tags in a final attempt to kill them both. Yū survived with severe internal injuries, and Yuan Ye pulled him to the rear as the remaining fight fell to the others.

• Uchiha Yū unleashed a purple chakra blade attack against Qinghe, despite lightning damage slowing his hand seals.
• A Kumogakure ninja raised an Earth Wall to shield Qinghe, and Yū poured his strength into breaking through it.
• Qinghe rejected his comrade’s attempt to rescue him, declared he would make a final contribution to the village, and prepared his explosive tags.
• Uchiha Yū shattered the Earth Wall, but Qinghe charged at him and detonated more than a dozen explosive tags.
• Uchiha Yū survived by crossing his chakra blades as a shield, but suffered a deep chest wound and ruptured internal organs.
• Jonin Yuan Ye pulled Uchiha Yū to the rear, where Yū treated his injuries and admitted he could not fight for a while.

Uchiha Yū was nearly killed by the Cloud shinobi, but Hiruko intervened because he needed Yū alive for his Chimera Technique. With his strength spent, Yū sought a way to escape the encirclement and gambled on combining Nuclear Release with Hatake Sakumo’s ongoing battle against the Third Raikage.

• As a Cloud shinobi broke through Yuan Ye’s defense and charged at Yū, Hiruko kicked the attacker away to keep Yū alive.
• Hiruko demanded that the Cloud shinobi spare Yū, but they refused and continued their attack despite realizing Hiruko had manipulated events.
• While secretly recovering, Yū decided to use Nuclear Release and draw Hatake Sakumo into the plan to break the deadlock.
• Yū reached the battle between Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage, where Sakumo’s blade could barely penetrate the Raikage’s Lightning Release defense.

Uchiha Yū used a blinding explosion to help Hatake Sakumo escape the Third Raikage, and the Konoha group broke through Kumogakure's blockade. They reached the shore safely, where Hatake Sakumo asked about Ito Yuna's injuries.

• Hatake Sakumo prepared to face the Third Raikage until Uchiha Yū arrived and told him to close his eyes.
• Uchiha Yū's explosive flash injured the Third Raikage's eyes, giving Hatake Sakumo time to grab Yū and escape.
• Hatake Sakumo broke through to the other battlefield, where Cloud Shinobi abandoned their fight with Hiruko and rushed to find the Third Raikage.
• Hatake Sakumo struck Hiruko and ordered Jōnin Yuan Ye to carry the badly injured Ito Yuna as the group fled.
• The Konoha group broke through Kumogakure's blockade and reached the shore, where Hatake Sakumo asked about Ito Yuna's injuries.

Uchiha Yū returned to Konoha after the mission, while Hatake Sakumo's report and a threat from Kumogakure forced Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisers to prepare for possible war and plan a public response. At Konoha Hospital, Yū showed Reiko and Nawaki his injury and gave Nawaki medical books, just as hurried footsteps approached.

• Uchiha Yū told Hatake Sakumo that Ito Yuna had survived but would never be able to work as a shinobi after her leg was amputated.
• Hatake Sakumo reviewed the mission and submitted a report to the Hokage, who read it alongside an encrypted threat from Kumogakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and Utatane Koharu decided not to punish Hatake Sakumo, ordered preparations for a possible war, and planned to weaken his prestige publicly.
• Uchiha Yū returned to Konoha Hospital, where Reiko and Nawaki saw his mission record and the scar on his chest.
• Nawaki asked Uchiha Yū to teach him medical ninjutsu, and Yū gave him books from Tsunade as hurried footsteps sounded outside.

Uchiha Yū recognized that the Hokage faction was using public outrage over Hatake Sakumo’s mission to pressure him, and he went to comfort Kakashi at the Hatake residence. After a ninja in the crowd threw a stone, Yū prepared to confront the hidden instigator.

• A medical ninja told Uchiha Yū that civilians were protesting against him, and Yū went outside to hear their accusations.
• Uchiha Yū realized the Hokage faction was manipulating rumors to undermine Hatake Sakumo, while Nawaki offered to ask the Third Hokage to stop the unrest.
• Uchiha Yū went to the Hatake residence, where Hatake Kakashi said his father had gone to see the Hokage.
• Uchiha Yū reassured Kakashi that the abuse would pass and told him not to let the weak influence him.
• A ninja in the crowd threw a stone at Uchiha Yū, who crushed it and told Kakashi he could fight back if a ninja attacked him.

Uchiha Yū confronted the forces smearing Hatake Sakumo and waited outside the Hokage’s office for him. He explained that Sakumo had been targeted because his prestige made him a threat to the Third Hokage’s power, leaving Sakumo questioning the village leadership he had trusted.

• Uchiha Yū drove away the people harassing Hatake Kakashi and headed to the Hokage’s office.
• Uchiha Yū waited outside the office for two hours while Hatake Sakumo spoke with the Hokage.
• Uchiha Yū stopped the exhausted Hatake Sakumo and said the scandal was a trap aimed at him, with Yū caught up in it.
• Uchiha Yū explained that Sakumo’s prestige made the Third Hokage wary, even though Sakumo had no interest in becoming Hokage.
• Hatake Sakumo accepted that the Hokage’s faction had targeted him and began doubting the village leadership he had trusted.

Hatake Sakumo decided to stop taking ninja missions, and Uchiha Yū offered him a security guard job at Dawn Weapons Store. The Hokage respected Sakumo’s wishes, while Danzo considered recruiting Kakashi into the Hokage faction; Kumogakure remained silent.

• Uchiha Yū reassured Hatake Sakumo that Dawn cared about Konoha itself, and Sakumo decided to act only when the village’s safety was at stake.
• Uchiha Yū offered Hatake Sakumo a security guard position at Dawn Weapons Store, and Sakumo agreed to lend the store his name.
• Hatake Sakumo publicly announced he would stop taking ninja missions, surprising the Hokage’s advisers and Danzo.
• Danzo proposed transferring Hatake Sakumo to Root, but the Third Hokage rejected the idea and ordered that Sakumo’s wishes be respected.
• The Third Hokage learned Kakashi had returned to the Ninja Academy and considered assigning him a teacher from the Hokage faction.
• Kumogakure made no comment after hearing of Hatake Sakumo’s decision.

Uchiha Yū learned that the Third Raikage and Third Kazekage planned to ally against Konoha, and he prepared Dawn to profit from the coming war while moving supplies to safety. Orochimaru visited and said he planned to leave the village soon, but Uchiha Yū warned him to remain until the war was over.

• Uchiha Yū read Shan Juhua’s intelligence that the Third Raikage had invited the Third Kazekage to ally against Konoha.
• Uchiha Yū refused to warn Konoha and ordered Shan Juhua to move supplies to the Land of Waves, stockpile weapons and medical resources, and hold them back during the war’s early stages.
• Orochimaru arrived and told Uchiha Yū that his experiments had reached a stopping point and that he would soon leave Konoha.
• Uchiha Yū warned Orochimaru that the Third Shinobi World War was near and that Konoha would not let him leave during wartime.
• Orochimaru said he understood the risks and did not want to provoke Konoha’s wrath by betraying the village during the war.

Uchiha Yū addressed a flaw in the second stage of the Curse Mark and branded Shan Juhua with its stable first stage to strengthen her. After testing its limits, he warned her that its power could damage her body and left her with a ten-minute usage limit.

• Orochimaru showed Uchiha Yū that the second stage of their Curse Mark lacked a stable energy supply, and Yū agreed to seek a substitute for meteorite radiation.
• Uchiha Yū suspected Orochimaru still intended to pursue immortality and decided to prevent Dawn from becoming Orochimaru's resurrection site.
• Uchiha Yū branded Shan Juhua with the first-stage Curse Mark, which spread across her body before he sealed it into a three-tomoe mark on her neck.
• Uchiha Yū tested Shan Juhua's Curse Mark and determined she could maintain it for ten minutes before he stopped it when she began to feel pain.
• Shan Juhua asked whether Water Release could cool her body, but Uchiha Yū warned her that the heat reflected the limits of what her body could endure.

Uchiha Yū received a letter from Yahiko about Akatsuki and decided to protect Nagato while letting the organization develop. As the Third Shinobi World War approached, he chose to direct Dawn’s efforts through Sunagakure and traveled to meet Kakuzu.

• Uchiha Yū read Yahiko’s letter from Amegakure and learned that Akatsuki had been established and was growing quickly.
• Uchiha Yū told Shan Juhua to watch Akatsuki secretly, let it develop normally, and make sure Nagato survived so Dawn could recruit him.
• Uchiha Yū considered how to profit from the Third Shinobi World War and chose Sunagakure because Dawn controlled the village’s missions and supply chains.
• Uchiha Yū traveled to the Land of Wind, where his factories and trade had brought growth while the Third Prince remained confined inside the daimyō’s residence.
• Uchiha Yū visited Kakuzu at a desert factory, where Kakuzu was counting money, and asked whether he had grown comfortable with his new life.

Uchiha Yū warned Kakuzu that the coming war could leave Sunagakure’s borrowers dead and unable to repay their loans, then discussed the village’s growing dependence on the Land of Wind Weapons Shop. He told Kakuzu someone else would kill the Third Kazekage and arranged to enter Sunagakure hidden in a shipment.

• Uchiha Yū warned Kakuzu that the Third Shinobi World War would begin within half a year and that borrowers might die before repaying their debts.
• Kakuzu checked his ledger and vowed to collect the money before the war began.
• Kakuzu reported that the Third Kazekage was reducing Sunagakure’s missions and expenditures to limit its dependence on the Land of Wind Weapons Shop.
• Uchiha Yū called the Third Kazekage a potential problem, but said someone else would kill him.
• Uchiha Yū asked Kakuzu to get him into Sunagakure, and Kakuzu told him to hide inside the next large shipment.

Uchiha Yū secretly entered Sunagakure through his weapons shop and met Sasori in its hidden basement to recruit him for a plan that would send the village’s ninja away on missions. The plans intrigued Sasori, but Uchiha Yū’s mention of Sunagakure’s forbidden puppet technique left him considering the limits of using a Human Puppet.

• Kakuzu brought supplies into Sunagakure while Uchiha Yū hid among the camels and took the place of a shop employee.
• Uchiha Yū inspected his Land of Wind Weapons Shop and sent an employee back to work.
• Sasori arrived at the shop, recognized that Broker was Uchiha Yū in disguise, and followed him to the secret basement.
• Sasori threatened Uchiha Yū after learning the plans could harm Sunagakure, but Uchiha Yū persuaded him that he would not betray him.
• Uchiha Yū explained that the plans would disperse Sunagakure’s ninja on missions and mentioned its forbidden puppet technique.
• Sasori discussed the technique’s need for a powerful body as he considered the limitations of Human Puppets.

Uchiha Yū persuaded Sasori to consider killing the Third Kazekage in exchange for joining his organization, while warning that the assassination had to wait until the timing was right. The story then shifted to the Third Kazekage and Sunagakure’s leaders, who discussed how the Land of Wind Weapons Shop’s mission changes were weakening their position as war approached.

• Uchiha Yū suggested that Sasori use the Third Kazekage’s body to create his strongest Human Puppet.
• Sasori accused Uchiha Yū of wanting the Third Kazekage dead to throw Sunagakure into chaos, and Uchiha Yū admitted the Kazekage obstructed his plans.
• Uchiha Yū offered to bring Sasori into his organization if Sasori killed the Third Kazekage, and Sasori agreed to cooperate after the village lockdown eased.
• Uchiha Yū told Sasori to wait, warning that the Kazekage’s assassination could bring war forward while Dawn was evacuating.
• The Third Kazekage asked Chiyo and another adviser to assess the Land of Wind Weapons Shop’s mission changes, and Chiyo said they were deliberately dispersing Sunagakure’s forces.
• The Third Kazekage and his advisers recognized that Sunagakure had fewer options than they had expected as war approached.

The Third Kazekage and his advisors resolved to reduce Sunagakure’s dependence on the Land of Wind Weapons Shop and discussed choosing a successor. At the shop, Uchiha Yū persuaded Pakura to buy cosmetics, then offered her a reward to help him with a favor.

• Ebizo warned the Third Kazekage and Chiyo that confronting the Land of Wind Weapons Shop too forcefully could endanger Sunagakure.
• The Third Kazekage declared that Sunagakure would seek other supply channels rather than remain dependent on the shop.
• Chiyo presented Sasori, Rasa, and Pakura as successor candidates, and the Third Kazekage said he favored Rasa because his abilities could help the village’s finances.
• Pakura complained about the shop’s cosmetics, but Uchiha Yū persuaded her to buy two items with a discount.
• Uchiha Yū stopped Pakura as she was leaving and offered her the cosmetics for free, plus a generous reward, if she helped him with a favor.

Uchiha Yū persuaded Pakura to provide blood for his research, then confronted a Sunagakure ninja who had abruptly withdrawn from the Land of Wind Weapons Shop’s delivery mission. He demanded compensation under village regulations, and the ninja left to seek the Third Kazekage’s decision.

• Pakura agreed to give Uchiha Yū a small blood sample in exchange for cosmetics and payment.
• Uchiha Yū stored Pakura’s blood in frozen storage for future research.
• Manager Muramasa confronted a jonin who had withdrawn from the shop’s delivery mission because of a confidential assignment.
• Uchiha Yū cited Sunagakure’s mission rules and demanded compensation for the shop’s losses.
• The jonin apologized and said he would consult the Third Kazekage before deciding how to proceed.

The Third Kazekage and Sunagakure’s leaders responded to Uchiha Yū’s interference by ordering him investigated and tested, while trying to avoid open conflict with the Land of Wind Weapons Shop. Yū endured a threatening encounter at his dormitory and decided the Kazekage’s assassination test would not go unanswered.

• The Third Kazekage told Sunagakure’s ninja to avoid taking missions from the Land of Wind Weapons Shop unless necessary, and Chiyo planned to spread news of the village’s financial troubles.
• The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and Ebizo suspected Uchiha Yū was the shop’s owner and ordered someone to test whether he was a ninja.
• Uchiha Yū noticed Sand ninjas watching him at the shop and chose to wait for a chance to evade their surveillance.
• A hidden ninja pressured Uchiha Yū with killing intent when he returned to his dormitory, but did not attack.
• Uchiha Yū recognized the encounter as an assassination test and warned that he would not let it pass without a response.

After realizing Uchiha Yū was a ninja, the Third Kazekage summoned Granny Chiyo to discuss how to force him out of Sunagakure. Uchiha Yū retaliated by disrupting food and water shipments, leaving the village in chaos as its ninja went to seek new supplies.

• The Third Kazekage concluded that Uchiha Yū had noticed the ANBU probe and was a ninja, then ordered Granny Chiyo to come meet him.
• Uchiha Yū ordered ninja to attack the Land of Wind Weapons Shop’s shipments and prepared to leave before Sunagakure was driven to desperation.
• Rumors of robbed supply convoys spread, prompting villagers to hoard food and water and fight over what remained.
• The shop manager kept employees inside the store while they protected their stock from the growing unrest.
• As Sunagakure’s ninja withdrew to find new supplies, Uchiha Yū watched the village’s chaos and hoped it would endure.