Chapter Summaries

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left to continue handling Konoha’s troubles, Minato Namikaze returned home and reassured Kushina, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin that Danzo would be stripped of his positions. Kushina questioned why she had been spared punishment, and Minato began to reveal a secret about the village, demanding that they tell no one.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to press Minato Namikaze about Obito and hurried home to resume dealing with Konoha’s affairs.
• Minato Namikaze returned home, where Kushina, Rin Nohara, Obito, and Kakashi welcomed and comforted him.
• Minato told them Hiruzen had blamed Danzo for the incident and would remove him as elder and Root leader while allowing him to keep his Jonin status.
• Kushina questioned why the Hokage had excused her despite the extensive damage she had caused.
• Minato decided his family and students should learn about Konoha’s schemes and warned them to keep his coming words secret.

Minato explained that Hiruzen Sarutobi had stopped investigating because Minato was certain to become the Fourth Hokage, and because the village’s rules favored those with power. He warned Kushina, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin that Hiruzen intended to manipulate them, and urged them to distrust others when clan and political interests were involved.

• Minato told Kushina and the others that Hiruzen would let him become the Fourth Hokage to repair their differences and avoid pursuing the night’s events.
• Minato said Kushina’s past suffering had resulted from their lack of status and explained that powerful clans and village leaders were not bound by the rules imposed on ordinary people.
• Kushina objected to Minato exposing these truths to the children, but Minato explained that Hiruzen planned to use ANBU to brainwash Obito and Kakashi.
• Minato warned that Hiruzen wanted him as an obedient Hokage and might exploit Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan and Kakashi’s inheritance from Sakumo Hatake.
• Minato cautioned his students not to trust people too easily, saying that clan interests could outweigh friendship, even among his own friends.

Minato reassured Rin and his students, urging them to train and promising to protect them while he worked to change Konoha. At the Sarutobi compound, Hiruzen planned to secure power for his son and discussed Shisui Uchiha with the returning Shikaku Nara.

• Kakashi and Obito told Minato they trusted him, while Rin offered to surrender herself to spare her friends further trouble.
• Kushina, Obito, Kakashi, and Minato persuaded Rin not to give up, and Minato promised her a future at Konoha Hospital while planning for Kakashi and Obito to join ANBU.
• Minato asked the three students to keep training as he prepared to build support for changing the village, and Kushina agreed to help look after them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that the Uchiha had been settled near the Forest of Death and ordered Sarutobi Gang to monitor and secure their loyalty in exchange for two hundred million.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi considered how he would eventually place Shinnosuke in power, then welcomed Shikaku Nara and asked what to do about Shisui Uchiha.

Shikaku Nara helped Hiruzen Sarutobi devise a way to persuade Rin Nohara to sacrifice herself, then examined the Uchiha clan’s sudden internal conflict and found signs of a conspiracy. Hiruzen realized he might have been manipulated but still did not understand the Uchiha’s goal.

• Shikaku Nara advised Hiruzen Sarutobi to speak privately with Rin Nohara and guide her into choosing to sacrifice herself, which would prevent Minato Namikaze from objecting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Shikaku what to do about the Uchiha, and Shikaku said their recent upheaval involved too many suspicious coincidences.
• Shikaku questioned Hiruzen about his meeting with Shisui Uchiha and learned that Shisui had revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan before Hiruzen agreed to his demands.
• Shikaku pointed out that Shisui could not plausibly have built a faction in one day without Jin Uchiha noticing, and that Jin had other ways to handle him than a bloody clash.
• Hiruzen concluded that Shisui and Yan Uchiha might have staged their conflict and realized he may have handed them two hundred million ryo, but he could not explain why Uchiha Setsuna had died.

Shikaku Nara explained how Yan Uchiha had used Shisui’s defection to purge the Uchiha clan’s opponents and extract resources from Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen swallowed his anger to protect the Hokage faction’s standing, then revealed Obito had awakened the Mangekyo, leaving Shikaku quietly uneasy about Minato Namikaze’s possible ties to Yan.

• Shikaku Nara told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Yan Uchiha had eliminated internal rivals, united the Uchiha, and manipulated Hiruzen into providing Shisui with money and support.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi raged over the Two Hundred Million Ryo he had given Shisui and wanted to expose or retaliate against the Uchiha, but Shikaku warned that doing so would destroy the Hokage faction’s credibility with other clans.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted that he had to endure the loss and planned to deal with Yan Uchiha after the war, believing the Hokage faction still held the advantage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Obito had awakened the Mangekyo and said he expected Minato Namikaze to support the Hokage faction.
• Shikaku Nara remembered seeing Minato Namikaze leave with Yan Uchiha late at night, hid his concern, and took his leave.

Shikaku Nara returned home and told Koji Nara that the Uchiha’s rise and the Hokage faction’s divisions threatened to reshape Konoha’s balance of power. Koji revealed himself as the Nara Clan’s hidden strategist, and Shikaku asked him to begin genuinely planning for the Uchiha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo to discuss the Uchiha crisis.
• Shikaku Nara returned home, met his cousin Koji Nara, and explained what he had learned about Shisui Uchiha, Jin Uchiha, Obito, and Minato Namikaze.
• Koji Nara revealed that the Nara Clan had staged its apparent internal rivalries and kept him as a hidden strategist and backup plan.
• Shikaku concluded that the Uchiha had growing support and that the Hokage faction was likely to split over Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Shikaku told Koji that the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance would probably need to follow the Uchiha’s lead and asked him to plan for them.

Koji Nara told Shikaku that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and explained why Jin Uchiha was weakening Hiruzen Sarutobi through careful political pressure rather than an open attack. The cousins agreed to split the Nara Clan and back opposing sides, while Koharu and Homura approached Danzo to propose joining forces against Hiruzen.

• Koji Nara revealed that Fugaku had told him he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, shocking Shikaku with the Uchiha's hidden strength.
• Koji explained that Hiruzen's reserves included Tobirama's legacy, Hashirama-cell research, and potentially perfected Impure World Reincarnation, while Jin Uchiha was steadily undermining Hiruzen's faction.
• Shikaku agreed to support Hiruzen while Koji backed the Uchiha, and they decided that the Nara Clan would formally divide when Kazama returned, with Koji taking half the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clansmen.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura visited Danzo at Root headquarters and said Hiruzen had gone too far and would turn against them after dealing with the Uchiha and Hyuga.
• Koharu and Homura urged Danzo to join forces against Hiruzen, and Homura said they should strike first and teach him a lesson.

Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo formed an alliance and arranged to ambush Shinnosuke Sarutobi with help from Arashi Sarutobi. Shinnosuke was lured to Kage Rock, where Danzo’s Root forces attacked him; he escaped the first barrage with the Substitution Technique, but Danzo ordered the attack to continue.

• Danzo demanded proof of commitment from Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura before agreeing to join their plot against Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Utatane Koharu offered to track Shinnosuke Sarutobi, while Mitokado Homura recruited Arashi Sarutobi to help set a trap; Danzo agreed to lead the attack that night.
• Arashi Sarutobi secretly summoned Shinnosuke Sarutobi to Kage Rock, where Danzo and a crowd of Root elites were waiting.
• Danzo revealed that Arashi had betrayed Shinnosuke and ordered the Root shinobi to attack him with kunai and explosive tags.
• Shinnosuke Sarutobi used the Substitution Technique to survive the first barrage, and Danzo ordered his forces to finish him quickly.

Danzo killed Shinnosuke Sarutobi and secretly disposed of his body, while Arashi Sarutobi celebrated the removal of his rival. At Hiruzen Sarutobi’s secret meeting, the elders agreed to accept Shisui Uchiha’s group for now and postpone confronting the Uchiha until after the war.

• Danzo killed Shinnosuke Sarutobi, ordered Root to erase the evidence, and returned to Root headquarters.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to discuss the Uchiha; Arashi Sarutobi greeted Danzo and concealed his role in Shinnosuke’s death.
• Arashi Sarutobi privately mourned Shinnosuke briefly, then celebrated his chance to take control of the Sarutobi Clan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that Shikaku Nara had warned him the Uchiha’s apparent defection was an open conspiracy, and he asked the elders how to respond without alienating the other clans.
• Danzo proposed assigning Shisui and the other Uchiha to Root, but Hiruzen rejected the plan because it would strengthen suspicion against Konoha.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura advised Hiruzen Sarutobi to accept the Uchiha for now and wait until the war ended before settling accounts with them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew suspicious of Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, then learned that his son Shinnosuke Sarutobi had disappeared after receiving a mysterious message. The investigation linked the elders to covert movements and Mitokado Homura to Arashi Sarutobi, so Hiruzen ordered Arashi seized and summoned Inoichi Yamanaka while fearing for Shinnosuke’s life.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura after their unnerving calm about the Uchiha scheme deepened his suspicions.
• Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura disparaged Arashi Sarutobi as an expendable pawn as they left the Sarutobi Clan grounds.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Shinnosuke Sarutobi and requested records of the elders’ movements, but an ANBU member reported that Shinnosuke had vanished after receiving a message and leaving headquarters.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi discovered that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had met Danzo and mobilized ninja, while Mitokado Homura had secretly visited Arashi Sarutobi.
• Shunen Sarutobi confirmed Mitokado Homura had met Arashi Sarutobi, and Hiruzen ordered Arashi seized, even if the men had to kill him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Inoichi Yamanaka and feared that Arashi and the elders had harmed Shinnosuke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Arashi Sarutobi about Shinnosuke’s disappearance and exposed how little power Arashi had without Shinnosuke’s protection. Hiruzen became convinced that Shinnosuke was dead, and the chapter ended as Lord Inoichi arrived.

• Arashi Sarutobi celebrated Shinnosuke Sarutobi’s death and believed he could take his place in the Sarutobi Clan.
• Shunen Sarutobi and a squad of clansmen escorted Arashi to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s residence.
• Hiruzen asked Arashi what Mitokado Homura wanted and whether Shinnosuke was still alive.
• Arashi denied involvement and feigned concern, but Hiruzen accused him of joining the elders and explained that Shinnosuke had been the one protecting him.
• Hiruzen took Arashi’s silence as confirmation that Shinnosuke was dead, while Arashi reeled from the confrontation.
• An ANBU announced that Lord Inoichi, captain of the Analysis Division, had arrived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi killed Arashi Sarutobi and had Inoichi Yamanaka use his memories to uncover the plot against Shinnosuke Sarutobi. Inoichi told Shikaku Nara what he learned, and Shikaku revealed the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had arranged a fallback alliance with the Uchiha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi killed Arashi Sarutobi after Arashi begged for another chance.
• Inoichi Yamanaka read Arashi Sarutobi's memories and discovered that Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzō, and Arashi had joined forces to kill Shinnosuke Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Inoichi Yamanaka to keep the memories secret, then vowed to deal with Danzō, Koharu, and Homura after the village's great enemy was defeated.
• Inoichi Yamanaka secretly went to Shikaku Nara and told him about the events at the Sarutobi Clan Compound.
• Shikaku Nara said the Ino-Shika-Cho clans would remain with the Hokage until he stepped down, but revealed that they planned to send half their members to support the Uchiha as a fallback.

Shikaku Nara explained the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans’ plan to Inoichi Yamanaka and warned him that they must continue supporting the Hokage’s faction while clan members changed allegiances. The next morning, Shikaku presented the situation to Inoichi, Torifu Akimichi, and Choza Akimichi, who were stunned by his news about Minato Namikaze’s rift with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

• Shikaku Nara told Inoichi Yamanaka to prepare for clan members to join the Uchiha while the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho continued helping the Hokage.
• Inoichi promised to warn the Yamanaka Clan and left the Nara residence.
• Inoichi returned the next morning with Torifu Akimichi and Choza Akimichi, and Torifu pressed Shikaku for details.
• After washing up, Shikaku described Yan Uchiha’s rise, the Hokage faction’s position, and his decision with Koji Nara that the time had come to act.
• Torifu asked whether Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya’s student and whether he had fallen out with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Shikaku Nara explained that the Three-Tails sealed inside Rin Nohara had created an irreconcilable conflict between Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Akimichi and Yamanaka clans agreed to prepare members for Koji, but Shikaku was summoned to the Hokage Office before he could enjoy his planned break.

• Shikaku Nara told Torifu Akimichi, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka that Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi disagreed over whether Konoha should return Rin Nohara and the Three-Tails to Kirigakure.
• Torifu Akimichi agreed to Shikaku's plan and ordered the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans to prepare half their members for Koji by the following afternoon.
• Torifu and Choza returned to the Akimichi Clan, while Inoichi left to prepare the Yamanaka Clan.
• Shikaku told Yoshino Nara that he intended to leave the work to Koji and take a break.
• ANBU summoned Shikaku to the Hokage Office, where he greeted the Hokage respectfully.

After Shinnosuke's death, Hiruzen Sarutobi considered blaming the Uchiha, but Shikaku Nara persuaded him to accuse Kumogakure instead and agreed to arrange a Jonin Meeting. The meeting began with the Uchiha arriving alongside new clan allies, while Yan Uchiha wondered what Hiruzen was planning.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Shikaku Nara whether the Uchiha had killed Shinnosuke and considered using the death to target them.
• Shikaku Nara warned that Konoha could not afford infighting and urged Hiruzen to blame Kumogakure instead.
• Hiruzen accepted Shikaku's proposal and asked him to arrange a Jonin Meeting for that afternoon.
• Shikaku agreed to organize the meeting, and Hiruzen decided that Ino-Shika-Cho could be trusted more than Danzo and his former allies.
• Jonin from Konoha's clans and civilian ranks gathered, and the Uchiha entered with the Aburame, Inuzuka, and smaller clans beside them.
• Yan Uchiha noticed the Konoha F4 were absent and wondered what scheme Hiruzen was preparing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Shinnosuke Sarutobi’s death, appointed Inoichi Yamanaka acting ANBU Captain and Shisui Uchiha deputy captain, and called for a vote on proposing a Five Kage Summit. Danzo objected to the ANBU appointments, but Hiruzen asserted his authority as Hokage.

• Yan Uchiha reassured Shibi Aburame and Fugaku that they should wait and see why Hiruzen Sarutobi had summoned the Jonin.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that Kumogakure had killed Shinnosuke Sarutobi in a surprise attack.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Inoichi Yamanaka acting ANBU Captain and Shisui Uchiha deputy captain.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed convening a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron and asked everyone to vote on the proposal.
• Danzo objected to the ANBU appointments, but Hiruzen Sarutobi insisted that the ANBU answered to him and that he had the authority to appoint its leaders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi called a vote on whether Konoha should hold a Five Kage Summit, while Yan Uchiha led the Uchiha and their allies in opposing it. The vote favored Hiruzen, but Yan’s speech challenged the room to continue the war until Konoha won completely.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi rebuked Danzo and appointed Jin Uchiha as ANBU’s second-in-command, while Koharu and Homura stopped Danzo from escalating the dispute.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed voting on a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron, and Yan Uchiha suspected Danzo had killed Shinnosuke Sarutobi.
• Fugaku asked Yan how to vote, and Yan told the Uchiha and allied clans to oppose the summit and let others vote first.
• Shikaku Nara, the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, Koharu, Homura, the Hyuga Clan, and others raised their hands in favor.
• Yan Uchiha declared the Uchiha’s opposition and urged Konoha to fight until it achieved total victory.

Yan Uchiha’s speech turned the Jonin Meeting against Hiruzen Sarutobi’s position, and the motion to propose a Five Kage Summit passed by twenty-seven votes. After Hiruzen adjourned the meeting, clans and shinobi considered what the Uchiha’s growing influence meant for Konoha.

• Yan Uchiha argued that Konoha’s peace had been won through sacrifice and battle, swaying many shinobi toward the Uchiha.
• Several clans and individual shinobi openly opposed Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Danzo and the other elders stayed silent.
• Utatane Koharu announced that votes in favor exceeded votes against by twenty-seven, so Konoha would propose a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared the meeting over and left with the three elders as the hall filled with dissatisfied voices.
• Inoichi Yamanaka, Torifu Akimichi, and Choza Akimichi discussed the Uchiha’s impact, while Shikaku Nara told them to prepare.
• Some smaller-clan members and civilian shinobi decided to join the Uchiha, while Hyuga Hiashi said the matter had nothing to do with his clan.

Yan Uchiha used opposition to the Five Kage Summit to rally support for the Uchiha, and their influence grew while Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to respond. After Konoha welcomed home the ninja from the Kirigakure front, Jin Uchiha shared a meal with Aya Hyuga and Kazama Nara, who lamented that Shisui was absent.

• Yan Uchiha urged the Uchiha to build their strength, win over allies, and spread his words throughout Konoha.
• Yan Uchiha’s speech gained support from civilian ninja and shinobi clans, while Hiruzen Sarutobi could not organize a response because ANBU was being reorganized and Danzo refused to cooperate.
• The Uchiha promoted Jin Uchiha, improving their reputation as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s standing declined.
• The ninja from the Kirigakure front returned, and Konoha held a welcoming ceremony as both the Hokage’s faction and the Uchiha turned to their own affairs.
• Jin Uchiha ate with Aya Hyuga and Kazama Nara, and Aya regretted that Shisui could not join them.

Jin told Aya and Kazama that he wanted to change Konoha by building a new balance of power, and both comrades pledged their support. The chapter ended with Jin being summoned to review urgent intelligence about a major event in Kirigakure.

• Jin explained that Shisui could manage his ANBU position and that Inoichi Yamanaka would not necessarily oppose him.
• Jin offered to sign an agreement assuring the Hyuga Clan that he had no designs on the Byakugan.
• Jin told Aya and Kazama that he wanted to change Konoha's power structure and create a new balance between the Hokage's faction and the groups it marginalized.
• Kazama agreed to help Jin with intelligence and planning in his personal capacity, and Aya reaffirmed her loyalty to the squad.
• A Konoha Military Police Force shinobi summoned Jin to review urgent intelligence about a major event in Kirigakure.