Chapter Summaries

The Third Hokage and the elders debated which village Konoha should ally with, weighing Jingyi’s warnings against the arguments for Kumogakure. The Third Hokage remained publicly undecided, but his thinking had shifted toward Kumogakure.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura accepted the plan to sell intelligence on Perfect Jinchūriki, and the Third Hokage opened a discussion about alliances.
• Utatane Koharu urged an alliance with Kumogakure, arguing that it was powerful, distant, and less likely than Iwagakure to threaten Konoha.
• Mitokado Homura asked what Jingyi thought, and the Third Hokage reported Jingyi’s warning that an alliance with Kumogakure could destabilize the Shinobi World.
• Shimura Danzō argued that Konoha could not afford to support Iwagakure and that Kumogakure would help protect the village if war broke out.
• The Third Hokage asked for time to think, while Mitokado Homura left and recognized that the Third Hokage had already been swayed toward Kumogakure.

Jingyi returned to Konoha and learned that Kirigakure was caught in a fierce factional struggle. After resuming his duties, he helped Fugaku Uchiha address disputes in the Police Force and rejected the Uchiha clan’s bid to join the Anbu for now.

• Jingyi returned home, where Tsunade complained that he had taken other girls out to have fun, then told him Kushina had come back tired from Kirigakure.
• Jingyi explained that Yagura’s faction and the Hozuki Clan’s faction were competing fiercely in Kirigakure, while Tsunade said Orochimaru and Jiraiya were away from the village.
• Jingyi resumed his Anbu duties, and the Kumogakure ninja stationed in Konoha departed to report his return.
• Fugaku Uchiha told Jingyi that newly assigned Police Force ninja were criticizing the Uchiha’s forceful law-enforcement methods.
• Jingyi ordered the Uchiha to take leave for systematic study while Hokage Office ninja handled public security, and Fugaku agreed.
• Fugaku asked whether Uchiha candidates could join the expanding Anbu, but Jingyi told him to train them and wait for future opportunities.

Fugaku Uchiha sent the Uchiha Police Force members on leave to study, leaving the other clans’ ninjas responsible for village security. The overwhelmed replacements struggled to handle public disorder, while the Third Hokage warned Shimura Danzō to stop interfering.

• Fugaku Uchiha announced that all Uchiha in the Police Force would take leave to study and that the remaining members would handle public security patrols.
• The Third Hokage realized Jingyi had likely backed Fugaku’s move and summoned Shimura Danzō instead of confronting Fugaku.
• The Third Hokage warned Shimura Danzō to withdraw his influence from the Police Force, but Danzō protested that the Uchiha’s law enforcement had problems.
• The next day, Fugaku and every Uchiha in the Police Force stayed home, leaving the Sarutobi and Shimura ninjas to cover the village.
• The remaining ninjas became overwhelmed by patrols and cases, and discovered that mediation failed when troublemakers refused to cooperate.

The Police Force struggled after the Uchiha took leave to study, and a Sarutobi Clan member’s excessive force triggered a wave of complaints. Jingyi confronted the Third Hokage, who blamed Shimura Danzō, and demanded either Danzō clean Konoha’s public toilets for a month or the Shimura Clan’s ninjas be dismissed.

• With the Uchiha absent, the remaining Police Force members became overwhelmed by patrols and complaints, and one member broke the arms and legs of people fighting during an arrest.
• The Third Hokage asked Jingyi when the Uchiha would finish studying, and Jingyi challenged him over the Sarutobi Clan member’s excessive force.
• The Third Hokage blamed Shimura Danzō for secretly stirring up trouble in the Police Force.
• Jingyi gave the Third Hokage a choice between making Shimura Danzō clean every public toilet in Konoha for a month or dismissing the Shimura Clan’s ninjas.
• The Third Hokage warned that dismissing the Shimura Clan’s ninjas would cause trouble, but Jingyi said Danzō was responsible for the consequences of his own actions.

The Third Hokage confronted Shimura Danzō over the Shimura Clan members causing trouble in the Police Force and relayed Jingyi’s ultimatum. Danzō rejected the humiliating option of scrubbing Konoha’s public toilets and stormed out, leaving the clan’s fate unresolved.

• The Third Hokage summoned Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to discuss the trouble in the Police Force.
• The Third Hokage told Shimura Danzō that Jingyi demanded either the Shimura Clan members be purged and monitored by the Police Force and Anbu, or Danzō scrub toilets for a month.
• Shimura Danzō protested that Jingyi was humiliating him, while the Third Hokage blamed him for provoking the Uchiha and refusing to take responsibility.
• The Third Hokage refused to help Shimura Danzō choose between his pride and his clan’s future.
• Shimura Danzō refused to scrub toilets and stormed out, while Mitokado Homura decided to stay out of the dispute.

After Shimura Danzō refused to accept his punishment, Fugaku Uchiha dismissed the Shimura Clan ninjas from the Police Force, and the Anbu and Police Force began monitoring the clan. The Third Hokage let the pressure continue as a way to separate Danzō from his clan, while Tsunade worried that Jingyi and the Third Hokage would clash.

• Utatane Koharu questioned the Third Hokage about his decision, and Mitokado Homura warned her that Shimura Danzō would not sacrifice himself for the clan.
• After three days without a response from Jingyi, Fugaku Uchiha returned to the Police Force and dismissed its Shimura Clan ninjas, while the Anbu stood by to prevent trouble.
• Fugaku Uchiha announced that the dismissals were punishment for the Shimura Clan ninjas disrupting the Police Force under Danzō's orders, and the Police Force began recruiting civilian ninjas.
• The Anbu and Police Force openly monitored the Shimura Clan, whose leaders went to the Hokage Office and received no help from the Third Hokage.
• Shimura Danzō shut himself away and ignored his clansmen, leaving the Shimura Clan to bear the consequences of his actions.
• Tsunade worried that the dispute would cause Jingyi and the Third Hokage to clash, but she was told the Third Hokage also wanted to separate Danzō from the clan.

Jingyi let the operation against the Shimura Clan continue while Kushina waited for permission to begin her revenge plan. After several days, delegations from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure arrived in Konoha for negotiations, and Jingyi entered the meeting room eating an egg pancake.

• Tsunade questioned how long the operation against the Shimura Clan would last, and Jingyi said it depended on when the clan and Shimura Danzō began to break apart.
• Jingyi told Kushina to wait until the visiting village representatives left before carrying out her revenge plan, and she went shopping with her friends.
• The Shimura Clan sought help from Mitokado Homura, who warned that the clan was too close to Shimura Danzō, while the Third Hokage continued refusing to help.
• Chiyo's Sunagakure delegation arrived in Konoha, followed by Ōnoki's Iwagakure delegation and the Third Raikage's Kumogakure delegation; Kirigakure sent no representatives.
• Jingyi entered the negotiation meeting carrying an egg pancake, joining the Third Hokage and the other village leaders.

Chiyo provoked Ōnoki and the Third Raikage into trading insults while the Konoha hosts watched. Jingyi then handed the negotiations over to the Third Hokage, who invited the three visitors to name their prices for the Perfect Jinchūriki intelligence.

• Ōnoki challenged Chiyo over the Kazekage's absence, and she mocked Iwagakure for taking losses without fighting back.
• The Third Raikage joined in by mocking Iwagakure's defenses, prompting Ōnoki to turn his insults toward the Raikage.
• Ōnoki's personal jabs led the room to speculate about the Third Raikage, until the Third Hokage stopped their quarrel.
• Jingyi placed three scrolls of intelligence on the table and left the negotiations to the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage asked Chiyo, Ōnoki, and the Third Raikage to name their prices for the Perfect Jinchūriki intelligence.

Konoha negotiated intelligence trades with Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, then discussed a potential alliance with Kumogakure. Jingyi told Kushina that her personal revenge could continue despite the alliance, while the village talks concluded after seven exhausting days.

• Chiyo and Ōnoki chose to barter minerals for intelligence, while the Third Raikage said Kumogakure could trade or pay.
• The Third Raikage joined Jingyi for barbecue and asked whether Konoha intended to form an alliance; Jingyi confirmed it did.
• Jingyi told Kushina that Konoha planned to ally with Kumogakure but insisted her revenge was a separate personal matter.
• Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure spent seven days negotiating the intelligence trade, while the Third Raikage waited for their price agreement.
• The Third Raikage accepted the same terms as Sunagakure and Iwagakure, and Konoha quickly concluded negotiations with Kumogakure.

The Third Hokage and the Third Raikage agreed that an alliance between Konoha and Kumogakure would benefit both villages, despite possible objections from other shinobi villages. Jingyi skipped the meeting and stayed home reading while negotiations were left to the village leaders.

• The Third Raikage proposed an alliance, and the Third Hokage agreed that Konoha was also interested in forming one with Kumogakure.
• The Third Raikage and the Third Hokage discussed how the alliance could strengthen both villages militarily and economically.
• Mitokado Homura warned that an alliance might provoke Iwagakure and Kirigakure, but the two leaders believed those villages would not challenge them.
• Mitokado Homura noticed Jingyi's empty seat as the leaders prepared for further rounds of negotiations.
• Tsunade returned home and found Jingyi reading; he explained that he had skipped the meeting and left the alliance discussions to the Hokage Office.

Jingyi avoided a meeting about Konoha’s alliance negotiations, while Tsunade discussed Kushina’s graduation and left to gamble. Mitokado Homura then visited Jingyi to ask about the stalled alliance talks.

• Jingyi refused to attend the alliance meeting, wary that Kushina’s retaliation against Kirigakure and Kumogakure could spark another war.
• Tsunade told Jingyi that Kushina’s teacher wanted her to collect her graduation certificate, and they joked about the difficulty of a Jonin Exam.
• Tsunade left to gamble after Jingyi warned her not to lose all her money.
• Mitokado Homura visited Jingyi and said the Hokage Office Building had held daily meetings about an alliance with Kumogakure.
• Jingyi asked Mitokado Homura whether the alliance negotiations were going poorly.

Mitokado Homura worried that Kumogakure’s unusually generous alliance terms concealed a hidden motive, and Jingyi deduced that the Raikage wanted Konoha’s help with its Jinchūriki. Homura brought the explanation to the Third Hokage, but remained concerned that Jingyi himself might refuse the request.

• Mitokado Homura visited Jingyi because Kumogakure had made unusually large concessions during the alliance negotiations.
• Jingyi suggested that the Raikage was accepting losses to make it harder for Konoha to refuse a later request for help with Kumogakure’s Jinchūriki.
• Mitokado Homura agreed that the request likely concerned the Jinchūriki and hurried to tell the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage accepted Jingyi’s explanation, but Homura warned that Konoha’s willingness to help would not matter if Jingyi refused.

The Third Hiruzen worried that Jingyi would reject Kumogakure’s request for help training a Jinchūriki, but Tsunade reminded him that Jingyi would support something beneficial to Konoha. As the alliance negotiations reached their conclusion, the Third Hiruzen agreed to help under strict conditions.

• The Third Hiruzen took responsibility for persuading Jingyi to help train Kumogakure’s Jinchūriki.
• Tsunade told the Third Hiruzen that Jingyi would not refuse a request that benefited Konoha, then sent him away so she could sleep.
• The Third Hiruzen and Mitokado Homura realized they had focused too much on Jingyi’s grievances and overlooked his loyalty to Konoha.
• The Third Hiruzen and the Third Raikage continued their alliance negotiations until only the signing remained.
• The Third Hiruzen agreed that Konoha would help train one Jinchūriki if Kumogakure brought them to Konoha, but he offered no guarantee of success.
• The Third Raikage accepted the terms and declared their cooperation successful.

Konoha and Kumogakure finalized a genuine alliance, prompting celebration in Konoha and alarm in Iwagakure. Ōnoki summoned Iwagakure’s leaders to discuss the news, which left them shocked and worried about the balance of power.

• The Third Hokage and the Third Raikage signed an alliance agreement requiring Konoha and Kumogakure to provide military assistance to one another.
• The Hokage Office announced the alliance, and Konoha’s villagers celebrated the prospect of greater security and peaceful development.
• Ōnoki learned of the alliance after returning to Iwagakure and regretted not proposing an alliance with Konoha sooner.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s higher-ups and the Land of Earth’s Daimyo to attend an urgent meeting.
• Kitsuchi distributed the intelligence report, and Iwagakure’s leaders reacted with disbelief and concern.

Ōnoki decided Iwagakure had no choice but to seek an alliance with Kirigakure and planned to influence its internal conflict. In Konoha, Jingyi told Tsunade that training Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki would be easy because he could become a Perfect Jinchūriki by following his own nature.

• The Land of Earth’s daimyo worried that Iwagakure would face threats from both Konoha and Kumogakure, and Ōnoki said Kumogakure posed the greater immediate danger.
• Iwagakure’s leaders argued over how to respond, and Ōnoki stopped them and agreed that the village needed an ally.
• Ōnoki chose Kirigakure and planned to use news of Konoha and Kumogakure’s alliance to pressure its factions before backing one to take the Mizukage’s seat.
• At Jingyi’s home, Tsunade asked whether he resented having to train a Jinchūriki from Kumogakure, and Jingyi said he did not.
• Jingyi told Tsunade that Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki could become a Perfect Jinchūriki by freely expressing his nature, making the task easier than training Kushina.

Jingyi and Tsunade learned that Nawaki had been seriously injured after pursuing the Rogue Ninja Muzhen Jiro alone, while Jiraiya had left him unattended. They confronted Jiraiya over his negligence and left him promising not to let pleasure interfere with missions again.

• Tsunade told Jingyi that Nawaki was recovering in the hospital after Muzhen Jiro defeated him with a trap.
• Jingyi pointed out that Jiraiya should have been watching Nawaki, and Tsunade angrily blamed both teacher and student.
• Tsunade and Jingyi met Jiraiya at their usual gathering place, where he cowered under Tsunade's glare.
• Jingyi warned Jiraiya that Nawaki could have died and that Jiraiya would have carried the guilt for it.
• Jiraiya promised he would avoid women and distractions until future missions were finished.

Jiraiya realized he had to stop taking risks with Nawaki, while Tsunade explained that Orochimaru had left the village to pursue research. At the hospital, Jingyi and Tsunade found Nawaki talking with Little Blondie, while in Kirigakure Genji warned the feuding factions that Konoha had allied with Kumogakure.

• Jiraiya promised to be more careful with Nawaki after realizing how guilty he would feel if Nawaki died.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Orochimaru had returned before him, then left the village to pursue a research project.
• Jingyi and Tsunade visited Nawaki in the hospital and saw him sharing mission stories with Little Blondie.
• Genji told Kirigakure's factions that Konoha had allied with Kumogakure and urged them to stop fighting over the Fourth Mizukage position.
• Yagura agreed with Genji, but the other faction leaders questioned his authority to demand that they stop.

After Genji backed Yagura, Yagura crushed Kirigakure’s internal opposition and became its Fourth Mizukage. He met with Ōnoki to discuss an alliance, but refused to commit without concrete benefits for Kirigakure.

• Genji left the meeting and sided with Yagura after the other village leaders ignored his call to end the conflict.
• With Genji’s support, Yagura defeated his opponents and ended Kirigakure’s internal struggle in less than half a month.
• Yagura handed control of the village to Genji and traveled to meet Ōnoki.
• Ōnoki urged Yagura to ally Kirigakure with Iwagakure against the Konoha and Kumogakure alliance, which had Sunagakure’s support.
• Yagura pointed out that Kirigakure’s geography protected it from invasion and asked what benefits Iwagakure would offer, leaving Ōnoki frustrated.

Yagura rejected Ōnoki’s terms for an alliance, judging that Kirigakure had little to gain and much to risk. He returned to the village planning to seek intelligence on the Perfect Jinchūriki in Konoha, while the Third Raikage brought Killer B to Jingyi for training.

• Yagura rejected Ōnoki’s warning that Kumogakure might target Kirigakure and asked what Iwagakure could offer for an alliance.
• Ōnoki presented Iwagakure’s terms, but he and Yagura parted on bad terms because they disagreed over whether the offer was sincere and fair.
• Yagura told Genji the talks had failed and said he planned to visit Konoha to obtain intelligence on the Perfect Jinchūriki.
• The Third Raikage brought Killer B to Konoha and entrusted him to Jingyi, who agreed to train the boy while noting that his progress would depend on his talent.

The Third Raikage left Killer B in Konoha under Jingyi’s care, hoping he would learn and become a Perfect Jinchūriki. Jingyi encouraged Killer B to embrace his rapping while training to control the Eight-Tails, and left him to get started.

• The Third Raikage warned Killer B to study under Jingyi, punched him for rapping, and departed Konoha with his guards.
• Jingyi asked Killer B if he wanted the villagers’ acceptance, his brother’s praise, and the freedom to rap and hold concerts, and Killer B eagerly agreed.
• Jingyi told Killer B to train his chakra control, use more of the Eight-Tails’ chakra, and try to earn Gyūki’s acceptance.
• Jingyi promised that becoming strong would win Killer B praise and fans, then warned him not to roam recklessly around Konoha.
• Killer B began to rap, and Jingyi cut him off and left him to train.