Chapter Summaries

Rumors spread through Konoha that Hatake Sakumo should become the Fourth Hokage, a campaign Tianyi recognizes as Shimura Danzō’s attempt to influence public opinion. Knowing Sakumo’s future disgrace and suicide, Tianyi considers whether he can change Sakumo’s fate and protect Kakashi.

• Villagers, parents, and ninjas across Konoha praised Hatake Sakumo as a suitable successor to the Third Hokage.
• Danzo heard that public opinion favored Sakumo and privately considered his move in the succession struggle already underway.
• Kakashi told Sakumo about the rumors, but Sakumo dismissed them and focused on his duty and his son.
• Hiruzen received reports of the rumors’ unusually rapid spread, suspected Danzo was behind them, and recognized that choosing a successor could no longer be postponed.
• Tianyi identified Danzo as the likely source of the campaign and recalled that Sakumo would later fail a mission, face public condemnation, and die by suicide.
• Tianyi considered intervening to save Sakumo and protect Kakashi, while acknowledging that changing fate could trigger dangerous consequences.

Hyuga Tianyi warned the Konoha Sannin that rumors about Hatake Sakumo could be a deliberate attack using public opinion, then proposed a newspaper agency to counter misinformation and reach the Land of Fire. After securing investments from Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, he headed to the Uchiha Clan Grounds to seek further support.

• Hyuga Tianyi explained to Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade how repeated rumors could ruin reputations and warned that the talk of Hatake Sakumo becoming Hokage might be maliciously engineered.
• Hyuga Tianyi proposed a newspaper agency with official news, serialized stories, recruitment notices, a lottery, and paid advertisements.
• Hyuga Tianyi asked Tsunade to secure the Land of Fire daimyo's support and invited the Sannin and influential clans to invest.
• Orochimaru agreed to invest, Tsunade embraced Hyuga Tianyi and accepted, and Jiraiya agreed after Tsunade struck him.
• Hyuga Tianyi left the tavern and headed toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds to seek the clan's support.

Tianyi entered the Uchiha Clan Grounds and used his strength to confront the guards and make a point to Uchiha Fugaku. After killing three Root observers, he accepted Fugaku’s invitation and went inside.

• Uchiha guards stopped Tianyi at the clan grounds’ gate and warned him that outsiders, especially Hyuga, were forbidden.
• Tianyi unleashed his chakra, then placed a kunai at the Three-Tomoe Jonin’s throat before the Jonin could finish forming seals.
• Uchiha Fugaku appeared, apologized for his clansman, and invited Tianyi inside.
• Tianyi noticed three Root ninjas spying from a tree and killed them with kunai.
• Fugaku had the bodies and blood removed, then welcomed Tianyi into the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Tianyi explained how the Konoha Military Police Force had fueled resentment toward the Uchiha Clan and proposed reforms and a newspaper to improve its standing. Fugaku agreed to invest and asked Tianyi to take his infant son, Uchiha Itachi, as a disciple, changing the boy’s future.

• Tianyi told Fugaku that the Military Police Force had been used as a shackle that made the Uchiha Clan accumulate villagers’ resentment.
• Tianyi advised Fugaku to delegate routine police work, pursue valuable missions, and build ties with the daimyo of the Land of Fire.
• Tianyi presented his Newspaper Agency plan, and Fugaku agreed that the Uchiha Clan would invest in it.
• Fugaku introduced his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, and their infant son, Uchiha Itachi, then asked Tianyi to make the boy his disciple.
• Tianyi agreed to take Uchiha Itachi as his disciple once he turned three and promised that the boy’s life would change.

Tianyi secured the abandoned publishing house and founded the Land of Fire Daily with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Fugaku. As they assigned roles and signed the contract, Tianyi prepared to use the newspaper to shape public opinion and draw Danzo into his plans.

• The former owner handed Tianyi the publishing house deed, equipment, and remaining craftsmen, and Tsunade showed the daimyo-approved contract.
• Tianyi assigned Jiraiya to gather stories and artwork, Tsunade to oversee the lottery, and promised Orochimaru dividends and a VIP section for research recruitment.
• Tianyi entrusted Uchiha Fugaku's clan guards with protecting newspaper deliveries and promised to publish accounts of Kagami Uchiha's heroic deeds.
• Tianyi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Fugaku signed the contract, officially founding the Land of Fire Daily.
• Tianyi reflected that he now held a weapon of public opinion and thought that his trap for Danzo was ready.

The Land of Fire Daily debuted in Konoha, where newspaper children quickly sold copies to curious villagers. Its flattering portraits of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Daimyo, local news, entertainment, advertisements, job listings, and a lottery sparked excitement throughout the village.

• Newspaper children sold the Land of Fire Daily to villagers, who crowded around to read it.
• Villagers admired portraits of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Daimyo, while the paper presented the Daimyo as the reincarnation of the Susanoo Deity.
• Readers discovered village policies, entertainment stories, Ichiraku Ramen’s discount, and recruitment notices from Orochimaru’s laboratory and the Uchiha Clan’s Konoha Military Police Force.
• The newspaper advertised a Land of Fire lottery with a ten-million-ryo grand prize, prompting villagers to seek out tickets and other offers.

Merchants rushed to negotiate newspaper advertising, while Tsunade celebrated balloon sales and Fugaku welcomed the newspaper’s tribute to Uchiha Kagami. Danzo rejected Hiruzen’s summons, ordered Root to monitor the newspaper, and continued a plan to ruin Hatake Sakumo’s reputation during an upcoming mission.

• Four prominent Leaf Village merchants met at Wenxin House and entered together to discuss advertising fees.
• Tsunade celebrated the balloon sales as the queue, account books, and piles of money continued to grow.
• Fugaku read the article honoring Uchiha Kagami and quietly welcomed the recognition of his legacy.
• Hiruzen summoned Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to discuss an important matter, but Danzo refused the invitation.
• Danzo ordered Root to monitor the newspaper office and reviewed a plan to trap Hatake Sakumo on an S-Rank mission three days later.

Hatake Sakumo rescued a captured Leaf Village intelligence agent from Hidden Stone ninja, but the border outpost was destroyed and the intelligence was lost. Two days later, Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki demanded Sakumo’s punishment, and Hiruzen Sarutobi faced growing unrest as he questioned how the mission had gone wrong.

• Hatake Sakumo killed the Hidden Stone ninja surrounding him and rescued the unconscious intelligence agent, choosing to protect his comrade rather than pursue the mission.
• Hatake Sakumo reached the border outpost and found it destroyed, with the intelligence lost, then returned to Leaf Village with the agent.
• Hatake Sakumo watched five-year-old Kakashi practice shuriken before an ANBU agent summoned him to the Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki’s letter demanding Sakumo’s handover, compensation, and a public apology for the border incident.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned how the escort mission had escalated as civilians gathered outside the Hokage Building and shouted.

Hatake Sakumo faced growing public blame after his mission against Iwagakure sparked fears of war, while Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated to defend him. As an angry crowd surrounded the Hatake Compound, Danzo ordered his subordinate to release information, pushing his plan to claim the Hokage position forward.

• Rumors spread that Sakumo had caused a coming war, and Kakashi cried as he told his father that villagers were insulting him.
• Hiruzen reviewed reports of Iwagakure's response and village unrest but chose not to clarify Sakumo's actions, fearing renewed succession rumors.
• Villagers blamed Sakumo for deaths at the border, and he apologized to the civilians who confronted Kakashi before carrying his son home.
• A mourning woman and an angry crowd demanded Sakumo's punishment, then surged toward the Hatake Compound after Hiruzen said the matter was still under investigation.
• Sakumo watched silently as the crowd surrounded his home, while Danzo ordered a subordinate to release information and declared his ambition to become Hokage.

As villagers blamed Hatake Sakumo for the casualties on the front lines, Kakashi found his father after Sakumo stabbed himself. Tianyi arrived in time to treat Sakumo’s wound, leaving him stable and reassuring Kakashi.

• A rescued intelligence officer accused Hatake Sakumo of causing the deaths at the border, and the gathered villagers joined in condemning him.
• Inside the compound, Kakashi listened helplessly as the accusations reached his father and tried to believe Sakumo was a hero.
• Kakashi found Sakumo lying in a pool of blood with White Fang embedded in his abdomen.
• Tianyi comforted Kakashi, removed the blade, and used medical ninjutsu and emergency medical supplies to treat Sakumo.
• Sakumo’s breathing stabilized, and Tianyi told Kakashi that everything was all right.

Tianyi saved Sakumo and confronted him with the political scheme behind his disgrace, persuading him that his death would only harm Kakashi. Sakumo regained his resolve, thanked Tianyi, and Tianyi promised to help break the deadlock.

• Kakashi clung to his recovering father, and Sakumo said Tianyi should not have saved him because he was a sinner.
• Tianyi called Sakumo an idiot and argued that the mission scandal and public rumors were part of a scheme to eliminate him as a Hokage contender.
• Tianyi explained that Sakumo's Hokage crest and failure to withdraw from the race had made him a political target, then warned that his death would leave Kakashi isolated and bitter.
• Sakumo understood Tianyi's argument, stood despite his wound, and bowed to thank him for saving his life.
• Tianyi told Sakumo to recover and Kakashi to care for him, then promised to help break the deadlock.

Tianyi and Uchiha Fugaku exposed how Root operatives had been used to stir up anger against Hatake Sakumo, then published an account accusing a Leaf Village official of framing him. The villagers’ opinion shifted in Sakumo’s favor, and the crowd surged toward the Hokage Building.

• Tianyi told Fugaku that the intelligence operative was from Root and had been silenced by Danzo’s Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Fugaku reported that the hired villagers had been paid to repeat prepared accusations, while Tianyi said their testimony and the seal could turn public opinion even without identifying the organizers.
• Tianyi published a newspaper detailing Hatake Sakumo’s mission record, the Root operative’s silence, and the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Villagers read the report, questioned who had plotted against Sakumo, and learned that he had died by suicide.
• The crowd’s anger turned toward the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen confronted Danzo over the scheme against Hatake Sakumo, disbanded Root, and arranged an official statement clearing Sakumo. Tianyi secured Hiruzen's share in the Land of Fire Daily, while Kakashi and Sakumo began to reckon with the truth at home.

• Hiruzen accused Danzo of manipulating the mission and public opinion, then revealed Sakumo had attempted suicide and ordered Root disbanded and Danzo confined for a month.
• Hiruzen summoned Tsunade and Tianyi, gave Tianyi an official statement clearing Sakumo, and received Tianyi's shareholding agreement for the Land of Fire Daily.
• Tsunade struck Tianyi for flattering Hiruzen and carried him out of the office.
• Kakashi read the Hokage's statement beside Sakumo, who comforted him and said the world was not simply black and white.

Hatake Sakumo told Tianyi he was stepping down as ANBU commander, and Tianyi recruited him to help escort newspaper deliveries across the Land of Fire. After gaining a skill point for saving Sakumo, Tianyi raised Magnet Release to Master and discovered he could fly and wield gravitational and repulsive forces.

• Hatake Sakumo visited Tianyi and said he had decided to step down as ANBU commander.
• Tianyi invited Sakumo to join his newspaper agency as an escort for newspaper deliveries, and Sakumo accepted.
• Tianyi opened the Book of Ten Thousand Worlds and received one skill point for saving Sakumo.
• Tianyi spent the skill point to raise Magnet Release from Advanced to Master.
• Tianyi used his new power to fly above the clouds and discovered he could repel kunai and move objects with repulsive and gravitational forces.

Tianyi demonstrated extraordinary Magnet Release control in the Blue Star laboratory and agreed to further tests. Over the next ten days, he continued testing at night while carrying out ANBU missions in the Naruto World, steadily pushing his abilities further.

• Tianyi levitated, spun, and reshaped a massive tungsten alloy pillar with precise control.
• Tianyi fired a barrage of metal particles at Mach 17.3 and manipulated metal plates made from many different materials without letting them collide.
• Commander Tian outlined tests for Magnet Release range, simultaneous control, defense, metal sensing, and ability development, and Tianyi agreed to continue.
• Tianyi carried out ANBU missions by day and challenged his limits in the laboratory at night, eventually stopping armor-piercing rounds in midair.
• Over ten days, Tianyi improved his control through repeated testing while Commander Tian and the technicians watched his abilities surpass their expectations.

The Third Kazekage rejected Chiyo’s proposal for a military alliance with Iwagakure, insisting Sunagakure needed to recover before risking another war. Rasa left the meeting consumed by hatred for Hyuga Tianyi, and later confronted a young man who emerged from a strange puppet in his room.

• The Third Kazekage told Chiyo to send Rasa to gather gold dust to help restore Sunagakure’s finances.
• Chiyo urged the Third Kazekage to ally with Iwagakure against the Leaf Village, but he refused and argued that Sunagakure should wait for the Leaf’s internal conflicts to worsen.
• Rasa revealed his puppet arm and legs, demanded revenge on Hyuga Tianyi, and stormed out after the Third Kazekage said the village could not risk another war.
• Rasa brooded over his severed limbs at home and reacted to a presence in the shadows.
• A black puppet appeared, and a young man stepped out of its abdomen; Rasa recognized him.

Sasori offered to help Rasa gain revenge by killing the Third Kazekage and promised to support Rasa's rise to Kazekage in exchange for help killing Hatake Sakumo. After Sasori left, Rasa succumbed to his hatred of Hyuga Tianyi and leaped into the night.

• Sasori revealed his mechanical arm and told Rasa he understood his pain and hatred.
• Sasori proposed killing the Third Kazekage to destabilize the Hidden Sand Village and clear Rasa's path to becoming Fourth Kazekage.
• Sasori demanded that Rasa help him kill Hatake Sakumo once Rasa became Kazekage, explaining that Sakumo had left ANBU to deliver newspapers.
• Sasori departed and left Rasa alone to consider the deal.
• Rasa smashed the wall while thinking of Hyuga Tianyi, then pushed open the window and leaped into the night.

Rasa lured the Third Kazekage into the desert and joined Sasori in assassinating him and the ANBU escort. Rasa returned toward Sunagakure while Sasori left with the bodies, their alliance and future plans left unresolved.

• Rasa reported that he had found a mineral-rich desert site, and the Third Kazekage went there with six ANBU shinobi.
• An ANBU disguised as an attacker poisoned the Third Kazekage, but the Third Kazekage trapped him with Iron Sand.
• Rasa stabbed the Third Kazekage with a Gold Dust spear, and the disguised ANBU revealed himself as Sasori.
• Rasa and Sasori killed the remaining ANBU, and Sasori collected the bodies to use as materials.
• Rasa gave Sasori his Summoning Technique formula and let him leave, while Sasori waited in vain for Rasa to follow him.

The Third Kazekage and Sasori vanished from Sunagakure, and an increasingly desperate search found no clues. Convinced that Konoha had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take the Kazekage, Chiyo threatened war, and Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Konoha's elders after receiving Sunagakure's accusation.

• An ANBU reported that the Third Kazekage and the ANBU squad on duty had vanished without a trace, so Chiyo ordered the disappearance kept secret and launched a search.
• Days later, Chiyo learned that Sasori had also disappeared, while Sunagakure's searches across the Land of Wind and neighboring countries found nothing.
• When officials speculated that a space-time technique had been used, Ebizo blamed Konoha's Flying Thunder God Technique for the Kazekage's disappearance.
• Chiyo demanded that Konoha return the Kazekage and threatened to declare war if it refused.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read Sunagakure's urgent accusation and summoned Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s advisers debated the Hidden Sand Village’s accusation that the Leaf Village had caused the Third Kazekage’s disappearance. Chiyo rejected the Leaf’s denial, agreed to an alliance with Iwagakure, and declared war, leaving the Sand Village to choose its Fourth Kazekage through the conflict.

• Danzo angrily denied involvement in the Third Kazekage’s disappearance, and Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted that he had misunderstood.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi followed Mitokado Homura’s advice and sent the Hidden Sand Village a denial, an offer of assistance, and a call to avoid conflict.
• Chiyo dismissed the Leaf Village’s reply as useless and ordered the Hidden Sand Village to accept Iwagakure’s military alliance and declare war.
• Ebizo proposed that the war determine who would become the Fourth Kazekage, and the Hidden Sand Village’s leaders agreed.