Chapter Summaries

Hyuga Hiashi continued curbing the Main House elders’ treatment of Branch House members while Jingyi took Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha on a trip to the Land of Whirlpools. At the coast, he summoned Gold Fang to carry them across the sea.

• Hyuga Hiashi raised Branch House members’ status and warned the Main House elders not to interfere with Mie Hyuga’s affairs.
• Jingyi chose the Land of Whirlpools as the group’s first destination, and Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha chatted throughout the journey.
• At the coast, Jingyi reminded the others that he had a Summoning Beast and waited for it to arrive.
• Gold Fang emerged from the sea, greeted Jingyi, and said Black Fang was exploring the seabed.
• Jingyi asked Gold Fang to take them to the Land of Whirlpools, and the three girls admired the enormous serpent as they climbed aboard.

Jingyi brought Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga to the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, where he explained why the Uzumaki Clan had been attacked and what Konoha had done. The next morning, the group set out for the Land of Rain, and Kushina signed a Summoning Contract with Gold Fang.

• As the group approached the Land of Whirlpools, Kushina grieved over her homeland and asked Jingyi why the Uzumaki Clan had been attacked.
• Jingyi said the clan's bloodline and Sealing Jutsu had made it a target, and revealed that Shimura Danzō's Anbu and Senju Clan supporters had gone there before Kushina and the clan's inheritance were brought to Konoha.
• Jingyi led Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga through the ruins, and Kushina went to bed early after seeing her former home.
• The next morning, Kushina asked Jingyi to take them to the Land of Rain, and he agreed.
• After breakfast, Kushina signed a Summoning Contract with Gold Fang.

As Jingyi and Kushina traveled toward the Land of Rain, Konoha faced growing protests as clan ninja competed with civilian ninja for a limited number of missions and jobs. The Third Hokage struggled to support the clans without depriving civilian ninja of their livelihoods.

• Jingyi encouraged Kushina to take revenge on Kumogakure and Kirigakure, and she happily embraced him.
• Kushina left the former site of the Land of Whirlpools with Jingyi and the others, traveling toward the Land of Rain with Gold Fang's help.
• Konoha's peace negotiations with Sunagakure drew criticism from villagers who saw them as an admission of defeat.
• Clan ninja began taking missions to replace lost financial subsidies, leaving civilian ninja with fewer ways to earn money.
• The Third Hokage reserved missions for clan ninja and placed others in village departments, but protests grew as civilian ninja struggled to support their families.
• Mitokado Homura warned the Third Hokage that the protests would worsen, while the Hokage acknowledged that the village had too few jobs for all the clan ninja.

The Third Hokage and Homura looked for ways to employ the Sarutobi Clan’s surplus ninja as the village’s financial troubles worsened. Homura approached Fugaku Uchiha to negotiate placing some of them in the Police Force.

• The Third Hokage and Homura discussed how the village could no longer afford to pay a large group of idle ninja.
• Homura noted that Jingyi Hyuga would not accept people into the Pharmaceutical Department or Anbu, so the Third Hokage suggested the Police Force.
• Homura agreed to ask Fugaku Uchiha for permission, despite concerns that the transferred ninja would not follow Uchiha orders.
• Homura visited Fugaku at the Police Force and candidly asked to transfer a batch of ninja into the department.

Mitokado Homura asked Fugaku Uchiha to let other shinobi join the Uchiha-controlled Police Force, and Fugaku sought Jingyi’s advice. Jingyi told Fugaku to accept the proposal while keeping command of the force and letting the Hokage Office handle the clan elders, though Fugaku doubted the Third Hokage would agree.

• Mitokado Homura told Fugaku Uchiha that civilian shinobi were losing mission work and proposed placing some in the Police Force.
• Fugaku rejected the idea and agreed to consider it, then contacted Jingyi as a middleman.
• Fugaku explained Homura’s proposal and his secret plans to deal with certain Uchiha clan elders to Jingyi.
• Jingyi advised Fugaku to accept new personnel but keep command authority and break them up among Uchiha squads.
• Jingyi suggested that Fugaku let the Hokage Office handle the clan elders so the blame would fall on the Third Hokage.
• Fugaku worried that the Third Hokage would refuse to take responsibility for the scheme.

Fugaku Uchiha negotiated with the Hokage Office to place about a hundred clan and civilian ninjas in the Police Force, while asking the village to handle Uchiha internal dissenters. The Third Hokage consulted his advisers, who began weighing the conditions.

• Jing-yi told Fugaku Uchiha that the Police Force could accept people and suggested involving Shimura Danzō in the Hokage Office's staffing plans.
• Fugaku Uchiha told the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura that the Police Force would take about a hundred people, provided they were integrated into Uchiha squads and followed Uchiha command.
• Fugaku Uchiha asked the Hokage Office to deal with troublesome members of the Uchiha Clan, claiming he could not bring himself to do it.
• The Third Hokage summoned Utatane Koharu, Shikaku Nara, and Torifu Akimichi to discuss Fugaku Uchiha's conditions, though Torifu Akimichi stayed home.
• Utatane Koharu supported considering the arrangement, and Shikaku Nara said the Uchiha's demand for command authority was reasonable.

The Third Hokage and his advisers decided to involve Shimura Danzō in eliminating the Uchiha hawk-faction elders, hoping to stabilize the clan and gain Jingyi’s favor. Danzō agreed in exchange for freedom, and the Third Hokage said he would arrange the operation.

• After Shikaku Nara left, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura discussed the risks of helping Fugaku Uchiha deal with the clan’s elders.
• The Third Hokage and his advisers settled on Shimura Danzō as the one to carry out the killings and bear the blame.
• Utatane Koharu urged the Third Hokage to let Danzō redeem himself through service, and he agreed to speak with him.
• The Third Hokage visited the detained Shimura Danzō, who said he had expected the request because he could act in the shadows.
• Shimura Danzō agreed to handle the Uchiha elders in exchange for freedom within the village, and the Third Hokage said he would make arrangements.

Fugaku Uchiha and Third Hokage set a trap to eliminate radical Uchiha elders, with Shimura Danzō leading the operation. The elders gathered in an underground base, unaware that it was surrounded, and fighting began before Fugaku arrived.

• Third Hokage stripped Shimura Danzō of his advisory rights and relied on the Hokage Guard Team and allied family ninjas for the operation.
• Fugaku Uchiha arranged a secret high-level meeting in an underground base and summoned the radical elders.
• The elders arrived with their guards and criticized Fugaku and Konoha while waiting for him.
• Shimura Danzō led the surrounding force as Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura watched from afar.
• When the elders questioned Fugaku's absence, an exclamation sounded and the noise of battle reached the base.

Shimura Danzō led a force to attack the Uchiha elders at a supposed clan leadership meeting, while the village’s leaders let the assault proceed. Jingyi’s puppets intervened to reclaim the stolen Sharingan and corpses, and the Third Hokage ordered Fugaku Uchiha to make arrangements quickly as the village faced potential chaos.

• Shimura Danzō accused the Uchiha elders of plotting a coup and ordered his shinobi to attack them at their meeting place.
• The Uchiha elders realized Fugaku Uchiha and the village higher-ups had lured them into a trap as their guards fell and no help arrived.
• Shimura Danzō killed an Uchiha elder and gouged out his Sharingan, but Jingyi’s puppet ordered him to put it down.
• Jingyi’s puppets surrounded the attackers, forced Shimura Danzō to return the eye, and collected the Uchiha corpses and Sharingan.
• The Third Hokage discussed Jingyi’s extensive puppet surveillance with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, then sent word to Fugaku Uchiha to coordinate arrangements.

After the Uchiha elders’ bodies were returned, Fugaku realized Jingyi’s puppets had prevented Shimura Danzō from taking the Sharingan. The Third Hokage confronted Danzō over the theft, but Danzō secured permission to pressure the Daimyo’s Court through a deniable operation.

• Mitokado Homura told Fugaku Uchiha to coordinate the Police Force and said Jingyi’s puppets had taken the elders’ bodies and their guards.
• A shadow delivered Fugaku a scroll containing the bodies, and Fugaku realized one Sharingan had been removed, likely by Shimura Danzō.
• The Third Hokage reprimanded Danzō for taking the Sharingan and warned him that Jingyi’s puppets and Hanzō’s corpse made provoking Jingyi dangerous.
• Danzō proposed pressuring the daimyo, and the Third Hokage forbade harm to the daimyo while permitting a small, deniable operation against people around him.
• Danzō accepted the restrictions and resolved to use the operation to make the daimyo recognize Konoha’s power.

Jingyi brought Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha to the Land of Rain, where he explained how war and its aftermath had devastated the country. They settled into an abandoned house for the night as the girls learned that the Land of Rain remained plagued by bandits, wandering ninja, and Rogue Ninja.

• Jingyi brought Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha into the rain-soaked Land of Rain and described its difficult farming conditions and mining challenges.
• Jingyi led the group to a deserted old house, repaired it, and cleared out plants and animals so they could stay there.
• Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha noticed the scarcity of people and heard Jingyi explain that war had left many homes abandoned.
• Jingyi explained that bandits, wandering ninja, and Rogue Ninja continued to prey on civilians, while the depleted daimyo could not restore order.
• Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha were stunned to learn that the Land of Rain might remain chaotic for years.

Jingyi explained how the war devastated the Land of Rain and left Konoha and Sunagakure struggling to recover, then helped Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha prepare a meal. That night, he discovered Shimura Danzō overseeing a secret selection of ninjas, suggesting the Third Hokage was planning trouble.

• Jingyi told Kushina, Mie Hyuga, and Mikoto Uchiha that ambition had helped cause the war and described the damage it inflicted on the Land of Rain, Konoha, and Sunagakure.
• Mikoto Uchiha took charge of cooking while Jingyi put Kushina and Mie Hyuga to work and reassured Mie Hyuga about her strengths.
• Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha joked about how difficult Hyuga etiquette training sounded, and Mie Hyuga felt encouraged by Jingyi's praise.
• Jingyi used his surveillance puppets to watch clan ninjas undergo a secret selection in Konoha, where fewer than twenty remained.
• Shimura Danzō arrived in the middle of the night, inspected the selected ninjas, and nodded in satisfaction.

Jingyi discovered that the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō had sent disguised ninja to the Daimyo's Court to stage an attack and frighten the daimyo into relying more on Konoha. The General's Residence was attacked, and the daimyo woke in terror when he learned the general had been killed.

• Shimura Danzō selected a team of clan elites and led them through a Hokage Guard Team passage toward the Daimyo's Court.
• Jingyi tracked the team with his puppets while he and the others stayed in the Land of Rain.
• Jingyi's puppet spotted the disguised ninja infiltrating the General's Residence and realized they planned to create a false Rogue Ninja attack.
• The ninja searched for valuables, left evidence of burglary, and killed the master of the General's Residence before fleeing.
• Soldiers sealed off the Daimyo's Court as news reached the palace, where the daimyo awoke and nearly lost control when told the general had been assassinated.

Shimura Danzō ordered further attacks on the Land of Fire’s nobles to make the daimyo fear for his safety and depend more on Konoha, while Jingyi secretly gathered evidence. After several days of rain, Jingyi and his companions left the Land of Rain and entered the Land of Grass.

• The daimyo panicked after the assassination of the Daimyo's Court general and ordered an investigation while summoning Konoha's shinobi to protect him.
• Shimura Danzō ordered the assassins to kill the noble overseeing the Daimyo's Court finances, storm the palace, and set a fire before retreating.
• Jingyi arranged for his puppet to keep following Shimura Danzō's operatives and photographing them as evidence.
• Kushina and the others grew tired of the Land of Rain's constant rain, so Jingyi's group left for the Land of Grass.

Jingyi explained why the Land of Grass was impoverished and dangerous, prompting Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga to leave for the Land of Iron. Meanwhile, after another assassination in the Land of Fire, the Daimyo fled to Konoha, forcing his guards to follow.

• Jingyi told Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga that greedy nobles and Kusagakure's ninja exploited the people of the Land of Grass.
• Jingyi warned the girls that both officials and commoners in the Land of Grass could prey on outsiders, and Kushina decided to leave for the Land of Iron.
• An assassin killed the noble responsible for the Land of Fire's finances, frightening the Daimyo.
• The Daimyo fled toward Konoha overnight, and his Konoha guards followed him.

After assassinations frightened the Daimyo and the nobles into fleeing to Konoha, the Third Hokage struggled with the sudden influx and its demands. He handed the supply problem to Shimura Danzō, who was enraged by the nobles’ extravagant shopping list and tore it up.

• The Daimyo fled to Konoha after assassinations struck the Daimyo's Court, and the nobles followed with their families and guards.
• The Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō reacted with shock as the nobles poured into Konoha.
• The Third Hokage complained that Konoha lacked space and supplies to accommodate the newcomers and their large entourages.
• Shimura Danzō told the Third Hokage to make the nobles pay and to buy missing supplies from other nations.
• The Third Hokage handed Shimura Danzō a list of the nobles’ demands, including fresh delicacies and deer raised by the Nara Clan.
• Shimura Danzō read the list, became furious, and tore the document to shreds.

After nobles from the Land of Fire fled to Konoha following an assassination, Shimura Danzō was forced to tolerate their demands, and the Third Hokage sent investigators to the Daimyo’s Court. Other nations’ leaders debated who was behind the attacks, while Ōnoki suspected Konoha and the Third Raikage focused on mineral resources instead.

• Shimura Danzō tore up the nobles’ unreasonable demands, but he could not retaliate because they had sought refuge in Konoha.
• News of the assassinations spread, prompting nobles from other countries to bring their families to shinobi villages for protection.
• The Third Hokage sent people to investigate the assassinations after pressure from the nobles in Konoha.
• Kitsuchi asked Ōnoki who was responsible, and Ōnoki named Konoha as a prime suspect while noting that a bounty-backed Rogue Ninja was another possibility.
• Ōnoki warned Kitsuchi to be careful because he had a substantial bounty on his head.
• The Third Raikage dismissed the intelligence and turned his attention to securing mineral resources from the Land of Earth.

The Third Kazekage saw the Land of Wind daimyo and nobles’ flight to Sunagakure as a chance to secure money for the village. Meanwhile, Jingyi brought Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga toward Kumogakure, leaving the Third Raikage alarmed by their approach.

• The Third Kazekage learned that the Land of Wind daimyo and nobles had arrived in Sunagakure and celebrated the opportunity to obtain their financial support.
• The flight of nobles from other countries spread unease through the Shinobi World, while the Land of Water remained consumed by conflict between Yagura’s loyalists and the opposition.
• Jingyi told Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga that they would openly tour Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure.
• Dodai informed the Third Raikage that Konoha’s Anbu Commander, Jingyi Hyuga, was heading toward Kumogakure with several companions.
• The Third Raikage dropped his dumbbells in shock, damaging the floor beneath Dodai’s worried gaze.

The Third Raikage monitored Jingyi Hyuga’s group as they traveled through the Land of Lightning, then personally welcomed them at Kumogakure. Jingyi asked the Raikage to act as their tour guide, leaving the Raikage speechless.

• The Third Raikage learned that Jingyi had brought Kushina, Mikoto Uchiha, and Mie Hyuga to the Land of Lightning as tourists and ordered shinobi to watch them.
• Jingyi reassured Kushina that Kumogakure’s surveillance was natural, while she and her friends continued sightseeing and shopping.
• Jingyi encouraged Kushina to buy a hundred cows and hire Kumogakure shinobi to deliver them to Konoha, surprising the Third Raikage.
• The Third Raikage welcomed Jingyi at Kumogakure’s entrance, and Jingyi asked him to be their tour guide.

Jingyi and his companions arranged to buy a hundred Highland Cattle in Kumogakure and toured the village under watch. The Third Raikage considered asking Konoha for guidance on Perfect Jinchūriki while warning Dodai to keep A from starting trouble.

• Dodai took over the meeting after Jingyi greeted the Third Raikage and assured him the group would only sightsee and shop.
• Jingyi insisted that Kumogakure arrange the purchase and delivery of a hundred Highland Cattle, and Dodai handled the payment and posted a mission to drive them to Konoha.
• Jingyi sent Dodai away and toured Kumogakure with the girls as word spread that Konoha's Anbu Commander had brought them to the village.
• The Third Raikage asked Dodai about B, and Dodai reported that B was stable but suggested seeking guidance from Kushina, Konoha's Perfect Jinchūriki.
• The Third Raikage decided to wait before speaking with Jingyi and told Dodai to keep A from looking for trouble.