Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi ambushed an Iwagakure supply convoy in a narrow mountain pass, blocking both ends and flooding the road with Hikaru’s Water Style. The Iwagakure shinobi raised an earth wall to stop the torrent, and the battle was left underway.

• Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi hid beside a narrow pass and waited for the Iwagakure supply convoy to enter.
• Hikaru kicked a boulder onto the road, trapping the convoy, then announced that the supplies were the toll for passing.
• The convoy leader recognized Uchiha Hikaru and ordered a messenger to warn Tsuchikage-sama.
• Hikaru unleashed the Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique while Uchiha Hayashi dropped another boulder to block the road behind the convoy.
• The Iwagakure shinobi used the Earth Flowing Boulder Wall Technique to raise a barrier against the oncoming water.

Hikaru flooded an Iwagakure transport convoy in a narrow mountain pass, destroying its supplies and drowning most of the escort. He left Uchiha Hayashi to capture the surviving leader as Iwagakure prepared to change its transport route.

• Hikaru sent a powerful torrent down the mountain pass, and the Iwagakure ninja tried to stop it with Earth Style Wall Jutsu.
• The flood shattered the walls, swept away the convoy and its supplies, and killed most of the escort.
• The surviving transport team leader cursed Uchiha Hikaru and defended Ōnoki, while Hikaru blamed the war on Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage.
• Hikaru ordered Uchiha Hayashi to capture the leader and break all four of his limbs, then departed the scene.

Hikaru left an Iwagakure captain with broken limbs alive after destroying a supply convoy, while Ōnoki learned that Konoha had disrupted his supply routes. Ōnoki ordered a large force sent from the village to hunt Hikaru down.

• At Hikaru's signal, Uchiha Hayashi left a kunai beside the injured Iwagakure captain and taunted him about surviving until rescue.
• Hikaru asked Uchiha Hayashi whether he should have killed the wounded man, and Hayashi admitted he did not know.
• Ōnoki noticed Konoha's offensive had slowed and ordered his troops to stay alert for a trap.
• Two Iwagakure ninja reported that Hikaru had infiltrated the Land of Earth and intercepted their supplies, and they asked Ōnoki to rescue their captain.
• Ōnoki ordered a rescue for the wounded, the burial of dead and unusable supplies, and a large force from the village to hunt Hikaru.

Hikaru destroyed three Iwagakure supply convoys before discovering that Ōnoki had used them as bait to lure him into an encirclement. As thousands of Iwagakure shinobi closed in, Hikaru prepared to fight and asked Uchiha Hayashi about Madara Uchiha.

• Hikaru burned the third Iwagakure supply convoy he had intercepted in five days and left no survivors.
• Hikaru sensed an approaching Iwagakure army and realized Ōnoki had used the supply convoys as bait to trap him.
• Hikaru told Uchiha Hayashi to stay close and follow his instructions during the battle.
• Thousands of Iwagakure shinobi surrounded Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi under Ōnoki's order to kill Hikaru.
• Hikaru asked Uchiha Hayashi what kind of person Madara Uchiha had been.

Hikaru spoke with Uchiha Hayashi about the Uchiha Clan’s power and the village’s efforts to downplay its history, then faced an encircling Iwagakure army. As the ninja charged, Hikaru manifested a complete Susanoo and swept aside their explosive-tagged weapons.

• Hikaru told Uchiha Hayashi that Konoha’s leaders feared the Uchiha Clan’s power and urged him to remember the Sharingan’s potential.
• Hikaru intended to use the battle’s intense pressure to test whether Uchiha Hayashi could awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Several thousand Iwagakure ninja surrounded Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi.
• An Elite Jonin ordered the Iwagakure ninja to attack with kunai and Shuriken rigged with Explosive Tags.
• Hikaru summoned his complete Susanoo, which knocked aside the weapons and endured the explosions.

Hikaru unleashed his complete Susanoo and tore through the Iwagakure forces in a one-sided slaughter. As Iwagakure suffered heavy losses, its ninjas tried to trap Susanoo in the rocky ground and bombard it with boulders.

• Hikaru summoned his complete Susanoo, whose enormous crimson katana effortlessly swept away the ninjas’ weapons and shattered distant mountains.
• Hikaru charged into the Iwagakure ranks, cutting a deep ravine through the battlefield and killing the ninjas caught in his path.
• Uchiha Hayashi followed behind Hikaru to collect spoils and realized that the Iwagakure forces were no match for him.
• Iwagakure’s commanders spread out their troops and used the Rock Bed Collapse Technique to make Susanoo sink into the ground.
• With Susanoo’s feet buried, an Elite Jonin ordered the ninjas to attack, and they hurled rocks at Hikaru with the Mound Ball Technique.

Hikaru mocked the Iwagakure ninja as their combined Earth Style attack failed to harm his Complete Body Susanoo. He counterattacked with Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, leaving many ninja gruesomely killed and the survivors retreating in fear.

• Hikaru stood inside his Complete Body Susanoo and taunted the Iwagakure ninja as they bombarded him with rocks.
• Iwagakure ninja combined Earth Style: Earth Flow River Technique, burying the Susanoo's legs in sand and rock without causing serious damage.
• Hikaru declared the assault meaningless and prepared to return their barrage with a technique of his own.
• Hikaru used Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, firing wooden spikes that pierced nearby Iwagakure ninja and grew through their bodies.
• An Iwagakure ninja called Hikaru a devil, and the surviving attackers retreated in terror.

Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi routed Iwagakure’s army with Susanoo and left the Land of Earth after the survivors fled in chaos. Ōnoki was left awaiting news at the camp headquarters, where he received a shocking report.

• Hikaru broke Susanoo free from the restraints and charged into the Iwagakure army, killing many as its ninja fled.
• Uchiha Hayashi joined Hikaru in pursuing the fleeing enemies until the army dissolved into disorder.
• Hikaru dispelled Susanoo, decided not to chase the scattered survivors, and predicted the attack could force Iwagakure and Sunagakure to withdraw from the Land of Rain.
• Hikaru and Uchiha Hayashi left the Land of Earth, while Hikaru watched Hayashi for signs of a change and saw none.
• Ōnoki waited at Iwagakure’s camp command headquarters for news of Hikaru’s encirclement, then reacted in shock to what he heard.

After Hikaru slaughtered more than a thousand Iwagakure ninja during the failed attempt to encircle him, Ōnoki struggled to contain the damage to his camp. The Third Kazekage concluded that Sunagakure should prepare to retreat, recognizing that Konoha had won the war in the Land of Rain.

• Ōnoki heard how Hikaru had routed the Iwagakure force and erupted in anger, while Kitsuchi left to organize care for the dead, wounded, and shaken survivors.
• Ōnoki suspected Hikaru had deliberately drawn him into a trap by intercepting supplies, and worried that the survivors’ fear would undermine Iwagakure’s ability to fight.
• The Third Kazekage received intelligence about Iwagakure’s losses and decided Sunagakure needed to prepare to retreat.
• The Third Kazekage reasoned that Iwagakure would also have to withdraw, leaving Sunagakure no practical choice but to retreat alongside them.

The Third Kazekage and Grandma Chiyo expected Iwagakure to withdraw from the Land of Rain, believing the retreat would begin a longer war. They also expected Uchiha Hikaru to lose his command, while Hikaru returned to camp and encountered an angry Third Elder.

• Grandma Chiyo questioned whether Iwagakure would withdraw, and the Third Kazekage said Ōnoki would pull back to prevent the camp's morale from collapsing.
• The Third Kazekage and Grandma Chiyo discussed how both allied villages had failed to defeat Konoha quickly and were waiting for the other side to make the first move.
• The Third Kazekage said Sunagakure would withdraw once Iwagakure acted and argued that the war would continue beyond the Land of Rain.
• Grandma Chiyo and the Third Kazekage predicted that the Third Hokage would remove Uchiha Hikaru from frontline command to preserve Konoha's internal balance.
• Uchiha Hikaru returned to camp and met the angry Third Elder.

Hikaru discussed Iwagakure and Sunagakure’s likely withdrawal with the Third Elder, then revealed that Konoha would keep him out of the coming war. He left the Third Elder wondering who would take command and which clan would become the main force.

• Hikaru joked with the Third Elder and reassured him after surviving Iwagakure’s attempt to hunt him down.
• The Third Elder reported that Konoha’s offensive had stabilized and Iwagakure had slowed its advance after sending troops after Hikaru.
• Hikaru predicted that Sunagakure and Iwagakure would be unable to continue fighting, while the Third Elder warned that the wider war could still become brutal.
• Hikaru told the Third Elder that he would not take part in the coming war because the village would keep him from returning to battle.
• The Third Elder wondered who would replace Hikaru as commander and lead the main force, and Hikaru left, saying someone would come and stir things up.

Ōnoki decided to withdraw Iwagakure from the Land of Rain after supply shortages and camp morale problems made continuing the war too risky. Sunagakure began preparing to follow, leaving Konoha poised to win the campaign while Amegakure faced the aftermath.

• Hikaru washed up at camp after discussing the war with the Third Elder, while wondering which forces Konoha would send next.
• Ōnoki learned that Iwagakure lacked medicine, had many wounded and unstable fighters, and could not recover supplies lost in the flood.
• Ōnoki ordered the wounded and unstable men sent back to the village and the combat-capable troops to cover Iwagakure’s retreat.
• Ōnoki vowed not to let Hikaru control the war’s course indefinitely.
• After learning that Iwagakure was moving, the Third Kazekage ordered Sunagakure to gather supplies and evacuate its wounded.

Iwagakure and Sunagakure withdrew from the Land of Rain, prompting Konoha to celebrate its battlefield victory and prepare to leave. Hikaru and Tsunade discussed the war’s likely continuation and Jiraiya’s decision to teach three war orphans, while the withdrawal left Rain’s civilians exposed to rogue ninja.

• Konoha’s troops learned that Iwagakure and Sunagakure had retreated, and celebrated their victory on the Land of Rain battlefield.
• Tsunade questioned whether the war was over, and Hikaru explained that fighting would continue elsewhere and that she would likely be needed against Sunagakure.
• Tsunade told Hikaru and Orochimaru that Jiraiya had taken in three ordinary, malnourished war orphans to teach, and Hikaru concluded they were not Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
• Hikaru ordered Konoha’s main force to pack up its supplies and return to the village, while Jiraiya stayed behind with the children.
• After the great villages left the Land of Rain, rogue ninja preyed on its civilians, leaving Hanzo of the Salamander with a worsening disorder he was unlikely to address first.

Hikaru returned to Konoha after Iwagakure and Sunagakure withdrew from the Land of Rain battlefield, and he planned to discuss Kushina and the Nine-Tails at a leadership meeting. At home, Kushina accidentally walked in on Hikaru and Uzumaki Kujou, then nervously approached him after he had dressed.

• Hikaru returned to Konoha alone, reported to the Third Hokage, and agreed to attend the next morning's meeting.
• Hikaru decided to raise the matter of Kushina and the Nine-Tails with the village leadership rather than discussing it privately with the Third Hokage.
• Hikaru asked Uzumaki Kujou about news from the Uzumaki Clan, and she said their correspondence had become less frequent amid the war.
• Kushina returned from school and barged into Hikaru's bedroom, finding him and Uzumaki Kujou beneath a blanket.
• Hikaru got dressed and washed up, then beckoned to the embarrassed Kushina in the courtyard.

Hikaru reassured Kushina about her Little Hot Pepper nickname and promised to teach her if she placed in the top three at school. After returning to Konoha from the war in the Land of Rain, he settled in at home and news of his return spread through the village.

• Hikaru laughed off Kushina's worry about being called Little Hot Pepper and told her to fight back against anyone who gave her trouble.
• Hikaru promised to personally teach Kushina if she placed in the top three in her grade, and they made a pinky promise.
• Kushina went to study while Hikaru told Uzumaki Kujou to handle her Sealing Jutsu lessons and asked her to make dinner.
• Hikaru complained about the front-line food and joked that he would bring a chef on his next campaign.
• News spread through Konoha that Uchiha Hikaru had returned, and villagers admired his victories against Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces.

Hikaru met with the Third Hokage after his battlefield victory and dismissed Takigakure’s complaints about losing the Seven-Tails. When Takigakure later asked Konoha for help recovering it, Hikaru refused, leaving the village to accept its loss.

• Hikaru arrived at the Hokage Office, where the Third Hokage had him wait while he finished assigning missions.
• The Third Hokage asked Hikaru how Konoha should answer Takigakure’s demand for an explanation, and Hikaru told him to ignore it.
• Takigakure’s leaders realized they had no evidence that Hikaru had taken the Seven-Tails and could not justify declaring war on Konoha.
• Takigakure tactfully asked Konoha to help capture the Seven-Tails again, but Hikaru refused, saying his contract with it had been severed.

Hikaru and the Third Hokage discussed Takigakure’s chances of recovering the Seven-Tails and Konoha’s alliance with Kumogakure against Iwagakure. At a wartime meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi publicly praised Hikaru’s service in the Land of Rain, setting the stage for Hikaru to make demands.

• Hikaru agreed to give Takigakure a general location for the Seven-Tails but said capturing it would be their responsibility.
• The Third Hokage told Hikaru that Kumogakure’s Third Raikage had agreed to attack Iwagakure if Konoha shifted the war into a localized conflict.
• A guard summoned the Third Hokage and Hikaru to a meeting, where the Third Hokage said Hikaru could state his demands openly.
• The Third Hokage opened the meeting by praising Hikaru’s victories in the Land of Rain and offering him Konoha’s respect.
• Hikaru thanked the Hokage Lord, the village, and its people for their support.

Uchiha Hikaru asked Konoha’s leaders to give him the Nine-Tails as a summoning beast, to be handed over after Mito Uzumaki’s death. The Third Hokage and the other officials were stunned and questioned whether Hikaru was serious.

• The Third Hokage said Sunagakure would be Konoha’s only enemy in the upcoming fighting and asked Uchiha Hikaru who should command it.
• The Third Hokage and the officials agreed Hikaru deserved a reward for his service on the Land of Rain battlefield.
• Hikaru asked for the Nine-Tails, clarifying that he would wait until Mito Uzumaki passed away and would ask for nothing else this time.
• The Third Hokage asked why Hikaru wanted the Nine-Tails, and Hikaru said he lacked a summoning beast.
• Utatane Koharu questioned whether Hikaru was joking, while the officials recalled that he had used the Seven-Tails as a summoning beast.

Uchiha Hikaru asked Konoha’s leaders to give him the Nine-Tails, prompting them to weigh the village’s fears against the possibility of using its power. The Third Hokage argued that since no one could tame the Nine-Tails, keeping it served little purpose, but the leaders had not yet decided whether to grant Hikaru’s request.

• Hikaru seriously asked Konoha’s leaders to hand him the Nine-Tails and said he would accept their refusal.
• Utatane Koharu and the other leaders hesitated, concerned that Hikaru’s strength combined with the Nine-Tails could make him a threat to the village.
• Hikaru told the leaders they could refuse if they suspected he had ill intentions toward Konoha.
• The Third Hokage asked whether the village could make its Jinchuriki tame the Nine-Tails and use its power, and the leaders answered that it was impossible.
• The Third Hokage asked what purpose the Nine-Tails served if no one could use its power.

Hikaru secured the Nine-Tails for himself, with its extraction delayed until Mito Uzumaki’s death. The meeting then turned to the war against Sunagakure, where Danzo emerged as the likely commander of Konoha’s new front.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi backed Hikaru’s claim to the Nine-Tails, and the leaders agreed it would be given to him after Mito Uzumaki passed away.
• Hikaru said he was willing to wait and would make no demand before Mito’s death.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi opened discussion of who should command Konoha’s campaign against Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.
• Mitokado Homura said the commander needed strength and prestige, leading Hikaru to conclude that Danzo would take the role.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the choice of Danzo as commander after the others supported him.