Recaps

Kagami Uchiha returned to Konoha with increased funding secured from the Daimyo and set his succession ceremony for three days later. As the village gathered to welcome him, he stepped forward to become Konoha's Third Hokage.

• Kagami Uchiha returned to Konoha and ordered Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Shikata Nara, and other senior officials to assemble.
• Kagami Uchiha reported the Daimyo's agreement, including a ten percent annual funding increase and priority revenue from taxes on border resources.
• Kagami Uchiha set the Third's succession ceremony for three days later.
• Mito Uzumaki praised Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu, and Tsunade asked when Kagami Uchiha would return.
• Konoha's villagers and ninja gathered for the ceremony as Kagami Uchiha stepped forward to become Hokage.

At his inauguration, Kagami Uchiha pledged to prioritize support for fallen ninja’s families and provide every serving Konoha ninja with an annual household allowance. After winning the crowd’s enthusiastic support, he began introducing ninja who had contributed to the village’s development, and Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted with alarm.

• Kagami Uchiha told the crowd that more than a thousand families of fallen ninja were living in hardship and accepted responsibility for their suffering.
• Kagami Uchiha declared that village funds would first support fallen ninja’s families, and Shimura Danzō challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi when he raised concerns about the cost.
• The crowd erupted in support as Kagami Uchiha promised dignity and security for fallen ninja’s families and a yearly allowance for every serving Konoha ninja.
• Kagami Uchiha officially took office, promised to keep improving life in Konoha, and received cheers from villagers and ninja.
• Kagami Uchiha beckoned the leaders forward to introduce ninja who had contributed to Konoha’s development, and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s pupils contracted.

At his inauguration ceremony, Kagami Uchiha appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi Hokage Advisor and announced Konoha’s new leadership. The ceremony ended with Kagami urging the villagers to leave safely and declaring that Konohagakure would endure.

• Kagami Uchiha named Hiruzen Sarutobi Hokage Advisor, and Hiruzen pledged to serve Konoha despite his doubts about deserving the honor.
• Kagami appointed Utatane Koharu head of the Medical Department and Shikata Nara Chief Hokage Advisor and head of Finance.
• Kagami assigned Shimura Danzō the roles of Intelligence Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, prompting Danzō to hope he would eventually claim Hiruzen’s position.
• Kagami established three Elder positions for Tokuma Hyuga, Uchiha Setsuna, and Senju Bu, who each reflected on what the appointments meant for their clans.
• Kagami ended the inauguration and asked the Konoha Military Police Force to guide the crowd out safely.

Kagami Uchiha encountered young Hatake Sakumo training alone and corrected his swordsmanship, leaving Sakumo eager to improve under the Hokage’s guidance.

• Kagami Uchiha noticed Hatake Sakumo practicing alone at the training ground and watched his relentless repetition.
• Kagami pointed out flaws in Sakumo’s cuts and thrusts, explaining how to use his waist, spine, and stance to direct his strength.
• Sakumo immediately applied Kagami’s advice, making his strikes steadier and more compact.
• Kagami praised Sakumo’s quick understanding and strong foundation, and Sakumo thanked him for the guidance.

Kagami Uchiha chose Sakumo Hatake as his disciple and promised to train him after he graduated early from the Ninja Academy. He asked Sakumo to befriend Might Duy, then took his new disciple to barbecue as their bond began.

• Kagami praised Sakumo's foundation and temperament, then offered to make him his disciple.
• Sakumo accepted Kagami's offer and promised to train hard for him and Konoha.
• Kagami told Sakumo to apply for early graduation and promised to teach him personally afterward.
• Kagami asked Sakumo to befriend Might Duy, whom he also believed had great potential.
• Kagami invited Sakumo to barbecue, and Sakumo hurried after him beneath the setting sun.

Five years into Kagami Uchiha’s rule, Konoha’s leaders reviewed the village’s expanded funding, welfare, medical, education, and intelligence systems. Kagami had also mastered Hashirama Cells and advanced Ame-no-Minaka close to creating a true Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving him among the strongest shinobi alive.

• Kagami Uchiha presided over a budget meeting after the Daimyo allocated Konoha three billion ryō, increased by years of close ties between them.
• Shikata Nara reported that survivor allowances for more than eight hundred households and stipends for around ten thousand shinobi consumed a third of the allocation.
• Utatane Koharu’s Medical Department and the Ninja Academy had expanded care, rehabilitation, and educational opportunities across Konoha.
• Shimura Danzō’s intelligence department and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Root built covert networks across the Shinobi World, while research restored Danzō’s lost arm with Hashirama Cells and raised him to Kage Level.
• Kagami Uchiha perfected his Hashirama Cells transplant, and Ame-no-Minaka purified his Mangekyō’s power until it neared the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan; he could sustain Perfect Susanoo and stood among the shinobi of legend.

Kagami Uchiha reunited with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and his apprentice Hatake Sakumo, whose talent and training had brought them to the top of their generation. He took the four young shinobi to the Fourth Training Ground to test them and help them overcome their training bottlenecks.

• Tsunade arrived with Jiraiya and Orochimaru and asked Kagami Uchiha for advice on their training.
• Hatake Sakumo quietly felt jealous of Tsunade's close affection for Kagami Uchiha, while Kagami noticed his apprentice's hidden feelings.
• Kagami Uchiha assessed the four youths' exceptional skills and recognized that their fundamentals had reached their limits.
• Kagami Uchiha invited Hatake Sakumo to join the others and led all four toward the Fourth Training Ground for a personal test.

Kagami Uchiha tested Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo at the Fourth Training Ground, forcing them to combine their skills and summon their beasts. As they brought out their strongest abilities, Kagami revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan and manifested a towering Susanoo.

• Kagami Uchiha challenged the four young ninjas to attack him together and countered their combined Fire and Wind Release with an Earth Flow Rampart.
• Tsunade tried to strike Kagami with Heavenly Foot of Pain, but he evaded her and then knocked Hatake Sakumo through several trees with a kick.
• Kagami urged the group to fight seriously, and Sakumo got back up while Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru summoned Katsuyu, Gamabunta, and Manda.
• Sakumo charged his short sword with Lightning Release Chakra as Kagami decided to stop using ordinary ninjutsu and Swordsmanship.
• Kagami awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and formed a towering giant of pale Murasaki Chakra before the group.

Kagami Uchiha tested his students with Susanoo, overwhelming them before treating them to a meal and explaining that he had held back. An urgent report that Iwagakure ninja had crossed the Land of Grass border sent him rushing to the Hokage Building.

• Kagami Uchiha summoned Susanoo, restoring Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo’s resolve before defeating them and dismissing their summoned beasts with one strike.
• Kagami Uchiha ended the test and invited the injured students to dinner at the Barbecue Restaurant by the village entrance.
• During dinner, Hatake Sakumo asked whether Kagami Uchiha had used his full strength, and Kagami said he had held back because he would not go all out against children.
• An Anbu Ninja reported that a squad from Iwagakure had crossed the Land of Grass border.
• Kagami Uchiha ordered the Anbu to notify Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, then hurried to the Hokage Building.

Kagami Uchiha gathered Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō after an Iwagakure squad crossed through the Land of Grass toward Konoha’s border. He explained that the other nations coveted the Land of Fire’s resources and left the two men waiting for his decision on how to respond.

• Kagami Uchiha told Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō that an Iwagakure squad was approaching Konoha’s border.
• Shimura Danzō urged a forceful response, while Hiruzen Sarutobi recommended alerting the Second Legion and sending Ōnoki a diplomatic demand for an explanation.
• Kagami stopped their argument and asked why other nations repeatedly provoked the Land of Fire.
• Hiruzen blamed the loss of Hashirama’s deterrence and the Land of Fire’s riches, while Danzō said Konoha lacked enough military strength to deter its rivals.
• Kagami spread a Shinobi World Map and described the harsh conditions and expansionist pressures in the other nations, then left Hiruzen and Danzō awaiting his decision.

Kagami Uchiha ordered Konoha to take the initiative against Iwagakure and assigned Danzō to lead preparations at the Northwestern Border. He sent his young disciples to the front and dispatched Hiruzen Sarutobi to guard against Sunagakure, leaving Konoha poised for a prolonged conflict.

• Kagami Uchiha ordered Danzō to ready the Second Legion for action against Ōnoki’s forces at the border.
• Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru asked to fight, and Kagami ordered them to leave for the border with Danzō the next morning.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered to reinforce Danzō, but Kagami assigned him to command the First Legion at the Land of Wind border instead.
• Kagami explained that he intended to let the border conflict with Iwagakure continue for two or three years to train Konoha’s new generation and demonstrate its resolve.
• Hiruzen accepted his assignment, and Kagami watched over Konoha as tensions gathered beneath the village’s quiet night.

Tsunade joined Konoha’s force bound for the northwestern border after promising Mito she would protect the village and return alive. At the front, Torifu Akimichi prepared the Second Legion for war with Iwagakure and awaited Shimura Danzō’s arrival.

• Tsunade told Mito she was leaving for the northwestern front, and Mito gave her a Senju talisman and urged her to come back alive.
• Tsunade said she would protect Konoha and the people there, then left after saying goodbye to Nawaki.
• Shimura Danzō led Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and the assembled shinobi toward the northwestern border.
• Torifu Akimichi informed the Second Legion that reinforcements were coming and ordered its units to regroup, check their supplies, and prepare for battle.
• Torifu ordered an elite reconnaissance squad drawn from the Uchiha, Hyūga, Aburame, and Inuzuka Clans to gather intelligence in enemy territory.
• The Second Legion assembled and waited for Danzō to arrive as its commander.

As Danzo’s party reached the tense Second Legion camp, Kagami Uchiha convened Konoha’s leaders and declared war on Iwagakure. Debate over his decision turned into fervent support for the Hokage, ending with Shizuya Hyuga asking permission to execute Tokuma Hyuga to steady the troops.

• Danzo and his companions arrived at the Second Legion camp after three days of forced marching and surveyed its defenses.
• Kagami Uchiha told Konoha’s leaders that he intended to declare war on Iwagakure, prompting objections about the risks.
• Shikata Nara questioned the need for war, while Utatane Koharu warned that it could disrupt the village’s reforms.
• Tokuma Hyuga mocked Kagami, and Senju Bu defended the Hokage and threatened anyone who insulted him.
• Hayama Shirakumo condemned Tokuma and praised Kagami’s work, stirring Jonin to voice their support for the Hokage.
• Shizuya Hyuga requested permission to execute Tokuma to steady the troops, shocking everyone in the office.

Shizuya Hyuga defied Tokuma Hyuga over the Main Family’s oppression of the Branch Family, and Kagami Uchiha stopped Tokuma from attacking him. Kagami then explained why Konoha must go to war with Iwagakure and vowed to make the village’s strength known across the Shinobi World.

• Shizuya Hyuga accused Tokuma Hyuga of exploiting the Branch Family and declared he would no longer submit.
• Tokuma Hyuga raised his hand to activate Shizuya’s Caged Bird Seal, but Kagami Uchiha’s pressure stopped him.
• Kagami told the leaders to set aside the Hyuga clan dispute and hear his reasons for declaring war on Iwagakure.
• Kagami explained that Ōnoki was testing Konoha and argued that Kumogakure and Kirigakure posed no immediate threat while Hiruzen guarded against Sunagakure.
• Kagami vowed to strike Iwagakure hard and declared that Konoha would retaliate against anyone who attacked or threatened the Land of Fire.

Kagami Uchiha declared war on Iwagakure and assigned Danzo’s Northwest Second Legion to lead the campaign. After dismissing the other officials, he confronted the Hyuga Clan over its Main Family and Branch Family system and left the Branch Family hopeful that he would protect them.

• Kagami declared war on Iwagakure, and Konoha’s ninja accepted his command to prepare for the campaign.
• Kagami ordered everyone to return to their duties and gave Danzo’s Northwest Second Legion authority over the border operations.
• After the other officials left, Kagami challenged Tokuma Hyuga’s defense of the Caged Bird Seal and the Hyuga clan system.
• Kagami told Tokuma that Shizuya Hyuga, his Shadow Guard, must not be harmed, and Tokuma agreed to leave him alone for the time being.
• Kagami warned the Hyuga ninja that he would hold them accountable if Shizuya died, and Shizuya pledged his loyalty to the Hokage.

Kagami Uchiha issued a proclamation condemning Ōnoki and announcing Konoha’s resolve to confront Iwagakure, shifting the Shinobi World toward war. The other villages weighed their options while Konoha’s forces prepared for battle and guarded against opportunism on the southwestern border.

• Kagami’s proclamation reached the Five Great Nations and accused Ōnoki of provoking Konoha, demanding Iwagakure withdraw or face Konoha’s army.
• Ōnoki flew into a rage upon reading the proclamation, while the Third Mizukage and Third Raikage decided to watch the conflict rather than intervene.
• Second Kazekage Shamon considered taking advantage of Konoha’s focus on the northwestern front to pursue Sunagakure’s ambitions.
• Hiruzen announced the proclamation to Konoha’s southwestern defenders and ordered them to stay alert for a possible move by Sunagakure.
• Danzo read the proclamation to the Second Legion, rallied the Jonin, and ordered every shinobi to assemble for battle orders in one hour.

Shimura Danzō assembled Konoha’s Second Legion and assigned a four-part plan to attack Iwagakure’s positions in the Land of Grass. Hatake Sakumo led the vanguard toward Broken Cloud Gorge as the other forces advanced, and the enemy defenses came into view.

• Shimura Danzō addressed more than two thousand Konoha ninja, who shouted their support for war against Iwagakure.
• Danzō ordered Hatake Sakumo to lead four hundred troops in harassing Iwagakure at Broken Cloud Gorge, Torifu Akimichi to command the eight-hundred-strong frontal force, and Jonin Iwami to lead five hundred infiltrators around the enemy’s rear.
• Danzō took command of three hundred reserves while the vanguard, main force, and infiltrators prepared to advance.
• Sakumo led Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the vanguard toward the Land of Grass, reminding them to scout, harass, and pin down the enemy rather than seek a decisive fight.
• The vanguard reached the mountains overlooking Broken Cloud Gorge, where Iwagakure’s fortified positions lay ahead.

Jianyan prepared Blackstone Fortress at Broken Cloud Gorge for an attack by Konoha’s four-hundred-strong vanguard led by Hatake Sakumo. Their opening ninjutsu exchange ended in a draw, and the chapter left both sides’ frontline forces colliding in close combat.

• Jianyan ordered Iwagakure’s forces to withdraw their sentries, activate defenses, and prepare an ambush in Broken Cloud Gorge.
• Hatake Sakumo led four hundred Konoha shinobi to the gorge, where he and Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru surveyed Iwagakure’s defenses.
• Iwagakure and Konoha exchanged Earth, Fire, and Water Release attacks, ending the first clash in a draw.
• An Iwagakure captain sent three hundred elite shinobi charging toward Konoha’s line.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered two hundred Konoha melee shinobi to meet the charge, and the opposing vanguards collided.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru joined the battle at Broken Cloud Gorge and turned the fight with their teamwork and summons. Their giant summons attacked Iwagakure while Katsuyu began healing Konoha’s wounded.

• Hatake Sakumo allowed Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to enter the battle after they asked to fight.
• Orochimaru trapped Iwagakure Ninja with Earth Release, and Jiraiya attacked them with fire while Tsunade shattered an Iwagakure jonin’s hardened arm.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru regrouped and performed the Summoning Technique together.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda, Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, and Tsunade summoned Katsuyu.
• Tsunade sent Katsuyu to heal the wounded Konoha Ninja as Manda and Gamabunta attacked Iwagakure.

Jianyan ordered Iwagakure’s forces to target Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, but Torifu Akimichi arrived with Konoha’s main force before the ambush could succeed. Jianyan led a thousand Iwagakure troops out of Blackstone Fortress to face Konoha, and the battle for Broken Cloud Gorge began in earnest.

• Jianyan rejected a full-force attack at first and ordered Iwagakure’s ambush squads to target Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
• Torifu Akimichi arrived with eight hundred Konoha troops, prompting the Sannin and Hatake Sakumo to regroup.
• Torifu ordered Konoha’s Earth Release users to protect the wounded as the main force advanced against Iwagakure’s front-line defenders.
• Jianyan ordered reinforcements requested from the Tsuchikage, left two hundred troops to guard Blackstone Fortress, and led a thousand soldiers into battle.
• Torifu and Hatake Sakumo prepared to meet Jianyan’s army as the final head-on battle for Broken Cloud Gorge began.

Konoha and Iwagakure began a fierce battle at Broken Cloud Gorge, with both sides unleashing powerful Ninjutsu and charging into close combat. Jianyan trapped Jiraiya and Gamabunta between closing walls of earth, and Jiraiya was left unable to complete the seals to escape as Orochimaru and Tsunade rushed to help.

• Torifu Akimichi and Jianyan traded accusations before ordering their armies to attack.
• Konoha's Fire Release and Iwagakure's Earth Release units clashed, then Konoha's Water and Lightning Release units disrupted Iwagakure's advancing earth technique.
• The armies collided in close combat as Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gamabunta, and Hatake Sakumo fought across the battlefield.
• Jianyan trapped Gamabunta in a swamp and began closing two enormous earth walls around him and Jiraiya.
• Jianyan's rising bedrock disrupted Jiraiya's attempt to release Gamabunta, while Orochimaru and Tsunade raced toward the closing trap.

Torifu Akimichi stopped Jianyan’s Mountain Earth Technique and held him off until Hatake Sakumo wounded him. Shimura Danzō arrived with three hundred reinforcements, shifting the battle in Konoha’s favor as Jianyan ordered an Iwagakure retreat and Sakumo charged after him.

• Torifu Akimichi used the Super Multi-Size Technique to pry open Jianyan’s Mountain Earth Technique, allowing Jiraiya to escape before the formation collapsed.
• Jianyan attacked the injured Torifu with the Added-Weight Rock Technique and forced him to his knees.
• Hatake Sakumo struck Jianyan from behind with his lightning-infused White Fang Short Sword, shattering his rock armor and wounding his arm.
• Shimura Danzō arrived with three hundred reserve ninja, revealed that Iwami and five hundred Konoha ninja were guarding the Blackstone Fortress, and declared Jianyan would die there.
• Jianyan ordered the Iwagakure ninja to retreat and collapsed the surrounding mountains, while Danzō used the Vacuum Great Sphere to break apart the falling rubble.
• Danzō sent Sakumo after Jianyan and ordered the Konoha forces to attack the remaining Iwagakure fighters.

Danzo’s forces defeated Iwagakure at Broken Cloud Gorge, then sent Orochimaru and Jiraiya to demand compensation from the Land of Grass. Orochimaru delivered Danzo’s insult to Caomang, calling him Fool, and left the Grass Ninja Leader facing the threat of Danzo’s personal visit.

• Hatake Sakumo killed the Iwagakure commander Jianyan, and Danzo ordered Konoha’s forces to defeat the remaining enemy, treat the wounded, and collect Kekkei Genkai samples for Hiruko.
• Danzo praised Sakumo and ordered Orochimaru and Jiraiya to demand compensation from the Land of Grass, while Tsunade stayed behind to treat the wounded.
• Danzo told Orochimaru to call the Grass Ninja Leader Caomang Fool and ordered Iwami’s troops to withdraw from outside Blackstone Fortress.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya traveled to the Grass capital and discussed how the country’s position between Konoha and Iwagakure made its choices dangerous.
• Orochimaru told the Grass Daimyo that Konoha expected compensation for driving out Iwagakure, then called Caomang Fool on Danzo’s behalf and warned that Danzo would visit if Caomang objected.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya pressed the Land of Grass to ally with Konoha, while Ōnoki ordered reinforcements and threatened war if the Grass sided with Konoha. The chapter ended with Kakuzu receiving a letter about the Land of Grass.

• Orochimaru demanded supplies, border access, and intelligence from the Land of Grass in exchange for Konoha's protection, and the daimyo requested three days to decide.
• Jiraiya asked whether Caomang might have attacked them, and Orochimaru said the Grass leader would not dare.
• An injured Iwagakure ninja reported that Konoha had defeated the force at Broken Cloud Gorge, killed Jianyan, and driven survivors to Blackstone Fortress.
• Ōnoki ordered two thousand ninja to reinforce the Land of Grass and told the garrison at Blackstone Fortress to hold its position.
• Ōnoki declared the Land of Grass an enemy if it sided with Konoha, while privately wishing he could lead the attack himself.
• Kakuzu received a letter about the Land of Grass and went inside.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru forced the Land of Grass to accept a sweeping agreement that placed its territory and Kusagakure under Konoha’s control. Back in Konoha, Kagami Uchiha approved the terms while ordering Danzō not to provoke further conflict, then sent him a calligraphy gift.

• The Land of Grass's Daimyo agreed to Konoha’s terms rather than risk another war.
• Orochimaru read Shimura Danzō’s agreement, which gave Konoha garrison rights, control over Grass’s security and Kusagakure, and authority to requisition supplies.
• The Daimyo and Grass Ninja Leader recognized that the agreement stripped the Land of Grass of its independence.
• Kagami Uchiha reviewed the agreement and told Shikata Nara that Konoha had earned the right to impose its terms by winning the war.
• Kagami ordered Danzō to secure the garrison without further squeezing the Land of Grass or starting a new war.
• Kagami sent Danzō a calligraphy inscription reading “Fire's Joy!” to recognize his work at Broken Cloud Gorge.