Chapter Summaries

Hatake Sakumo’s team learned that Iwagakure and Sunagakure were moving to surround them, so they began retreating and laying traps while waiting for Hikaru’s reinforcements. The pursuing force, led by Henggu Ai and including more than twenty Elite Jonin, suffered losses to the traps as it closed in.

• Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi concluded that the enemy’s large-scale movement was aimed at their team, and a scout reported enemies approaching from ahead.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered his team to prepare for battle, retreat toward camp, and use their traps to delay the enemy until help arrived.
• Hatake Sakumo told Uchiha Hayashi to mix convincing fake traps among the real ones.
• Iwagakure and Sunagakure’s pursuing ninjas triggered numerous traps and suffered casualties as they advanced through the forest.
• Henggu Ai realized the enemy had discovered their approach when Hatake Sakumo’s team began retreating, but he continued the pursuit.

Henggu Ai’s forces encircled Hatake Sakumo’s Konoha unit, forcing Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi to lead a breakout against both flanks. As the positional battle began and Iwagakure and Sunagakure attacked Konoha’s camp, Hikaru rushed to support Sakumo and began planning retaliation against Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage.

• Henggu Ai ordered his forces to pursue Konoha and complete the encirclement despite losses from traps.
• Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi decided to split their troops and charge through both flanks.
• Konoha’s ninja clashed with the enemy in a positional battle as the pursuing forces advanced through traps.
• Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya returned to camp as Iwagakure and Sunagakure attacked it.
• Hikaru raced toward Sakumo’s battle and planned to retaliate against Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage.

Hikaru arrived at the battlefield where Konoha forces led by Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi were surrounded by Iwagakure and Sunagakure, and began tearing through the enemy ranks. He unleashed Susanoo and continued slaughtering the encircling shinobi.

• Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi led Konoha's forces in attacks on both sides of the enemy encirclement while Iwagakure and Sunagakure pressed their numerical advantage.
• Hikaru arrived behind the enemy perimeter and used Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to strike down many Stone Shinobi and sand shinobi.
• Hikaru followed with Earth Style, Fire Style, and Wind Style attacks, killing more enemies and opening a gap in the encirclement.
• Hikaru activated Susanoo, and its katana slash annihilated the enemies in its path.
• Hikaru continued slashing through the surrounding Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces with Susanoo.

Hikaru arrived with Konoha reinforcements and broke the encirclement around the Konoha forces. His attack and Black Hole Space shattered the enemy’s morale, leaving the Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces fleeing as Konoha launched a counterattack.

• Hikaru slaughtered the Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces surrounding the Konoha ninja, while his arrival lifted Konoha’s morale.
• Hatake Sakumo learned reinforcements had arrived after killing two of the five Elite Jonin who had surrounded him.
• Hikaru charged into the encirclement and killed two Iwagakure Elite Jonin with Black Hole Space.
• The Iwagakure and Sunagakure ninja panicked and fled despite Elite Jonin ordering them to stay.
• Konoha’s fighters pursued the fleeing enemy forces.

Hikaru’s pursuit shattered the Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces, forcing Ōnoki to arrive and halt the rout. Hikaru withdrew Konoha’s wounded and dead while Ōnoki rebuked his own troops for their humiliating defeat.

• Konoha’s shinobi pursued the fleeing Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces, breaking their formations as Hikaru attacked the Elite Jonin who tried to escape.
• Ōnoki returned after delivering the Third Kazekage and found his forces fleeing in panic while Konoha pursued them.
• Ōnoki confronted Hikaru, but Hikaru ordered Konoha’s shinobi to gather their dead and wounded and prepare to return to camp.
• Hikaru answered Ōnoki with “Any time!!!!” and led Konoha away, staying at the rear to guard against an attack.
• Ōnoki shouted down his troops when they protested Konoha’s withdrawal, condemning them for being routed by a much smaller force.

After Hikaru led Konoha’s battered forces back to camp, he explained how the battle had weakened the alliance between Iwagakure and Sunagakure. He left the camp’s affairs to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru and went to rest, confident that resentment between the allied villages could soon grow.

• Ōnoki ordered the allied forces to withdraw after Hikaru’s relentless fighting frightened many of their ninja, especially those from Sunagakure.
• Hikaru returned to Konoha’s camp, where Tsunade and the others organized care for the wounded, and admitted that he was exhausted.
• Hikaru described Konoha’s heavy casualties and said the losses caused by Sunagakure’s ninja would make it difficult for Ōnoki to reprimand them without damaging the alliance.
• Hikaru told Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru that Iwagakure and Sunagakure’s ninja would blame each other, creating an opening for him to deepen their division.
• Hikaru left the camp in their care and went to rest.

After Hikaru returned to Konoha’s camp exhausted, the Third Kazekage and Grandma Chiyo assessed the failed encirclement and the heavy losses Sunagakure had suffered. Ōnoki raged over the allied forces’ collapse and the deaths of their elite ninja.

• Hikaru handed the casualty reports to Tsunade and went to sleep after bathing and changing.
• The Third Kazekage told Grandma Chiyo that Hikaru was terrifyingly strong and that Sunagakure had underestimated him.
• Grandma Chiyo reported that the encirclement had failed, Konoha and the allied villages had suffered heavy losses, and Hikaru had shattered their morale.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Sunagakure to rest and regroup before fighting again.
• Ōnoki returned to Iwagakure’s camp and furiously blamed the fleeing Sunagakure ninja for the plan’s failure and the loss of more than a dozen Elite Jonin.

After recovering from exhaustion, Hikaru discovered that his eyes had changed overnight into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The Third Elder recognized the transformation, though he remained puzzled about how it had happened, while Hikaru waited for a mirror and demanded meat.

• Ōnoki blamed Sunagakure for the incident and restrained himself from turning his anger into a larger conflict.
• Hikaru woke hungry after a full recovery and ordered his guard to bring meat to the command center.
• The guard noticed new lines in Hikaru’s Mangekyo Sharingan, and Hikaru demanded a mirror while insisting on meat instead of rations.
• Tsunade noticed Hikaru’s changed eyes at the command center, and the Third Elder recognized them as an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
• The Third Elder wondered how Hikaru’s Mangekyo had transformed overnight and recalled the Uchiha Clan’s uncertain rumors about Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha.

Hikaru showed the Third Elder his changed eyes and hinted that the Mangekyo was not the limit of Uchiha power. The discussion ended with Jiraiya teasing Hikaru, who examined his eyes in a mirror.

• The Third Elder considered the rumors about Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha as he studied Hikaru's unusual eyes.
• Hikaru said the Mangekyo was not the end of the Uchiha Clan's power but left the meaning vague.
• Jiraiya called Hikaru a freak, and Hikaru insulted him in return.
• A servant brought Hikaru grilled meat and a mirror, and Hikaru warned Jiraiya not to touch the food.
• Tsunade laughed when Hikaru told Jiraiya to eat frogs, while Jiraiya denied eating them.
• Hikaru looked in the mirror and saw six hooked tomoe joined together in a strange pattern.

After the battle, Hikaru ordered Konoha’s forces to rest and regroup while refusing to request reinforcements, then visited the Medical Department to check on the wounded. He arrived at the ward, where injured ninja greeted him.

• Hikaru argued with Jiraiya over the grilled beef, and the group finished the meal as rain returned.
• Hikaru told Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the Third Elder to rest and regroup while exploiting tensions between Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
• Hikaru reaffirmed that he would not ask the village for reinforcements and said Konoha would still win.
• Hikaru left to check on Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi, then went to the Medical Department.
• The wounded ninja greeted Hikaru when he entered the ward.

Hikaru visited the injured Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi, joked with them, and took responsibility for their situation. He told them to recover while he handled the war, hinting that he planned to exploit tensions among Iwagakure and Sunagakure.

• Hikaru stopped the injured from standing and saluting, then visited Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi in their ward.
• Hikaru teased the two about their closeness and their wives, and they reacted with discomfort and laughter that worsened their pain.
• Hikaru blamed himself for Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage sending forces to surround them, but Uchiha Hayashi and Hatake Sakumo denied that he was at fault.
• Hikaru told Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Hayashi to focus on recovering while he handled the fighting and drove Iwagakure and Sunagakure back.
• Hatake Sakumo asked about Hikaru's attack on the enemy forward position, and Hikaru hinted that he intended to sow discord between the enemy villages.

Hikaru tended to Konoha’s wounded while Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha recovered from their recent fighting. The Third Hokage worried over the losses and Hikaru’s refusal to request reinforcements, while Mikoto and the Uzumaki Kujou sisters waited for Hikaru to return.

• Hikaru visited the wounded and told them they had time to recover before Konoha struck back.
• Ōnoki cursed Hikaru as he struggled to manage Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi left traumatized by the fighting.
• The Third Hokage reviewed the front-line losses and worried that Hikaru had refused to request reinforcements.
• Mikoto Uchiha complained that her father would not let her join the front lines before her graduation exams.
• Kushina asked Uzumaki Kujou when Hikaru would return, and her sister explained that the war could last another year or two.

Hikaru used disguised Konoha ninja to provoke a confrontation between Sunagakure and Iwagakure patrols, hoping to deepen their distrust. After the patrols parted without fighting, he told Jiraiya to make sure the incident fueled complaints and warned him to stop peeping on women in the camp.

• Uzumaki Kujou worried about Kushina's future and wished Hikaru would return, while the Third Hokage kept the proposal to seal the Nine-Tails inside Kushina on hold.
• Hikaru's disguised team posed as Sunagakure patrol ninja and loudly blamed Iwagakure for the failures of their recent campaign.
• An Iwagakure patrol overheard them, and the two squads traded accusations before separating without a fight.
• Hikaru and Jiraiya removed their disguises, and Hikaru explained that their aim was to spread discord rather than kill anyone.
• Hikaru ordered Jiraiya to hide any traces of their involvement and threatened him over reports that he had been peeping on female ninja.

Hikaru used a staged clash and gossip to worsen Iwagakure’s resentment toward Sunagakure. The tensions finally erupted into a brawl between the allied shinobi, which Hikaru watched from the shadows.

• Hikaru told Jiraiya not to spy on their own camp and had him disguise the captured Sunagakure patrolmen in raincoats.
• Hikaru, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru returned to camp, leaving the surviving Iwagakure patrolmen to spread word of their clash with Sunagakure.
• The Iwagakure patrolmen privately complained, and their story fueled their comrades’ existing resentment toward Sunagakure.
• Several days later, Sunagakure shinobi provoked Iwagakure patrolmen, and the resulting argument turned into a fight.
• Nearby shinobi from both villages rushed in, and Hikaru watched from the shadows as the fight grew into chaos.

Hikaru used a staged brawl to deepen resentment between Iwagakure and Sunagakure, then began targeting their forward outposts. He approached an Iwagakure outpost under cover of the relentless rain, leaving the attack about to begin.

• A provocation between shinobi from Iwagakure and Sunagakure escalated into a brawl fought with fists and taijutsu.
• Hikaru explained to Hatake Sakumo that the brawl would erode trust between the allied villages, even if it would not start a war.
• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage suppressed the incident, but the resentment between their shinobi remained.
• Hikaru warned that the Uchiha Clan could use genjutsu and set out to attack enemy outposts while withdrawing Konoha's own outposts to prevent retaliation.
• Hikaru rejected attacking supply routes and used the rain to approach an Iwagakure outpost, where Stone Shinobi were chatting during guard duty.

Hikaru silently wiped out nearly all of Iwagakure and Sunagakure's outposts near the perimeter, killing almost two hundred shinobi before returning to camp. The next morning, Akasa Jiro discovered a slaughtered Sunagakure outpost and sent word that it had been attacked.

• Hikaru sealed an outpost to prevent its occupants from sending information, then killed the shinobi inside.
• Hikaru moved from outpost to outpost, killing their occupants and leaving the bodies behind.
• Hikaru avoided outposts near the enemy camps and returned to camp after killing nearly two hundred shinobi in one night.
• Akasa Jiro smelled blood while leading a Sunagakure patrol and hurried toward outpost B32.
• Akasa Jiro found the outpost's occupants dead and ordered a companion to report the attack to camp.

Akasa Jiro discovered that the nearby outposts had been wiped out, and the Third Kazekage and Ōnoki learned that their own outposts had suffered the same attacks. The Third Kazekage blamed Uchiha Hikaru and ordered stronger guards and more frequent patrols, while Hikaru’s outposts had already been withdrawn to prevent retaliation.

• Akasa Jiro found everyone at one outpost dead, then confirmed that the next outpost had met the same fate.
• Akasa Jiro checked additional outposts and found that all of them had been attacked, with no survivors.
• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage received reports that their outposts had been destroyed and went to inspect the damage.
• The Third Kazekage identified Uchiha Hikaru as the likely attacker and noted that Iwagakure had probably suffered the same losses.
• Grandma Chiyo called for retaliation, but the Third Kazekage pointed out that Hikaru had likely withdrawn Konoha’s outposts and patrols.
• The Third Kazekage ordered stronger guards, larger patrol teams, and more frequent contact between patrols and outposts.

After Uchiha Hikaru's attack wiped out enemy outposts and killed many Support Ninjas, he returned to camp and told his companions what he had done. The chapter left Hikaru heading out again at night in the rain, followed by Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo.

• Iwagakure and Sunagakure's leaders worried over their losses and considered strengthening patrols rather than seeking immediate revenge.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and the Third Elder confronted Hikaru about his absence, and Hikaru confessed to attacking the outposts.
• The Third Elder praised Hikaru's risky attack, while Hikaru welcomed the prospect of larger enemy patrols.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo asked to join Hikaru's next outing, but Hikaru pointed out that they could not reliably control enemies with genjutsu.
• Orochimaru said he could use genjutsu effectively, and Hikaru excluded the others while refusing the Third Elder's request to come along.
• Hikaru set out into the rainy night with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo following behind him.

Hikaru led the group into enemy territory to target patrol squads after Sunagakure and Iwagakure strengthened their outposts. Orochimaru captured a three-man Sunagakure patrol, and Hikaru considered whether controlled enemies could cause trouble for Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage.

• Hikaru brought Uchiha Hayashi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo along, and told Jiraiya and Tsunade they were only there to watch.
• Jiraiya tried to claim a role in the operation, but backed down when Hikaru assigned him to capture patrol squads.
• Hikaru noticed that enemy outposts had been restored and were now highly vigilant, so he led the group around one.
• The group encountered a three-man Sunagakure patrol, and Orochimaru used genjutsu to restrain the Chunin-level ninja.
• Hikaru rejected the idea of making the weak patrolmen kill one another and said the plan depended on whether Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage were prepared for it.

Hikaru forced Jiraiya to accompany him on a raid into Sunagakure's tightly guarded camp, while the rest of their group withdrew to watch. As Hikaru approached the checkpoint using a controlled Sunagakure ninja, the inspectors became suspicious of the man's return without his teammates.

• Hikaru ordered Jiraiya to stay with him and sent Tsunade, Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Uchiha Hayashi back to hide nearby.
• Hikaru told Jiraiya to summon Gama Bunta once the enemy camp fell into chaos.
• Hikaru dragged Jiraiya toward Sunagakure's camp despite Jiraiya's protests and threatened to use him as a distraction.
• Hikaru brought the controlled Ittan Matsu to the checkpoint and had him submit to inspection.
• Sunagakure's inspectors questioned Ittan Matsu about returning before the mission ended and asked where his teammates were.