Chapter Summaries

Hikaru watched Danzo get appointed Commander-in-Chief and made sure the village formally rejected his offer to send Uchiha forces to war. Afterward, he discussed training the new recruits with the Third Hokage and insisted he would personally teach Kushina without becoming her teacher.

• Mitokado Homura praised Danzo, the elders supported him, and the Third Hokage appointed him Commander-in-Chief.
• Hikaru offered to send Uchiha members to the front, but Danzo refused, saying the clan was needed to protect Konoha.
• Hikaru told Danzo he would lead the Uchiha in defending the village, then stayed quiet for the rest of the meeting.
• The Third Hokage asked Hikaru about leading new recruits, and Hikaru noted that Jiraiya was occupied in the Land of Rain while Tsunade would go to the Land of Wind.
• Hikaru approved of Kushina and Namikaze Minato, saying he had promised to teach Kushina personally but would not become her teacher.

Hikaru refused the Third Hokage’s suggestion that he train Minato, then went to the Senju compound after Mito Uzumaki summoned him. The chapter ended with Mito reflecting on Hikaru’s achievements and Tsunade’s feelings for him.

• Hikaru rejected the Third Hokage’s request to guide Minato, and the Hokage told him to rest after his work.
• An Anbu member told Hikaru that Mito Uzumaki wanted to see him, and Hikaru agreed to visit her at the Senju compound.
• Hikaru entered the Senju compound while its members watched and whispered about him.
• Hikaru greeted Mito Uzumaki respectfully, and she remarked on his accomplishments and Tsunade’s attachment to him.

Hikaru clashed with Mito Uzumaki over his plan to obtain the Nine-Tails and left after warning her that the village had already approved it. Mito failed to rally the clan elders or the Third Hokage against him, and Tsunade later confronted Hikaru about the uproar.

• Mito Uzumaki questioned Hikaru about why he wanted the Nine-Tails, and Hikaru said the Uchiha Clan could control it.
• Mito asked whether Hikaru wanted to become the second Madara Uchiha, and Hikaru accused the Senju Clan of helping drive Madara against the village.
• Hikaru left after telling Mito that the Third Hokage and village leaders had approved his claim to the Nine-Tails and warning that he would kill any rival Jinchuriki.
• Mito appealed to the clan elders about Hikaru and the Nine-Tails, but they avoided opposing the village leaders, while the Third Hokage feared confronting her.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru returned to the village, comforted Mito, and later Tsunade asked Hikaru how the dispute had escalated so quickly.

Hikaru told Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo that he had secured approval to claim the Nine-Tails as his summoning beast after being removed from battlefield command. As they ate, they discussed the war and the possibility that Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo would soon return to the front.

• Hikaru explained that the village had chosen Danzo as Commander-in-Chief and approved his request for the Nine-Tails as compensation for his service in the Land of Rain.
• Hikaru said Mito Uzumaki had opposed his claim and that they had argued, prompting Tsunade to criticize her grandmother’s interference.
• Tsunade accepted that Hikaru would eventually obtain the Nine-Tails, though he would have to wait while Mito remained alive.
• Hikaru warned Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo that they might need to return to the battlefield, and they complained about being reminded of their rations during their meal.
• Hikaru teased Tsunade about looking pregnant, making her blush and yell at him.
• Tsunade worried that Konoha would suffer heavy losses if the war against Sunagakure continued, while Hikaru said it could last anywhere from one to five years.

Hikaru warned Tsunade and the others that Kumogakure would keep Iwagakure occupied while Konoha fought Sunagakure, though he doubted Danzo's ability to command the war. After Konoha's army departed, Hikaru stayed in the village until Uchiha elders arrived to press him about choosing a clan head and promoting Fugaku Uchiha to the Elder Council.

• Hikaru told Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo that Kumogakure would attack Iwagakure, leaving Sunagakure without its ally's support.
• Three days later, Danzo led Konoha's army toward the Land of Wind, while Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo joined the front lines and most of the Senju Clan went with them.
• Hikaru noted that Danzo had excluded most Uchiha and Hyuga from the campaign, while Orochimaru became Nawaki Senju's teacher.
• Hikaru rested in the village as Mikoto Uchiha felt disappointed that he had not become her squad leader.
• Uchiha elders came to Hikaru's home to demand a clan-head election and discuss promoting Fugaku Uchiha to the Elder Council.

Hikaru agreed to hold the Uchiha Clan's long-delayed clan head election in three days, though he intended to leave most clan affairs to the Elders. News of the election spread through Konoha and surprised the Third Hokage, who had expected Hikaru to keep postponing it.

• The Elders urged Hikaru to choose a new clan head soon, explaining that clan members had called for action and the aging Elders wanted time to support their successor.
• Hikaru agreed to hold the election in three days and expected the Third Elder and Fifth Elder to handle routine clan affairs.
• The Elders left happily to prepare and notify the clan members.
• News of the Uchiha Clan's election spread through the village, and the Third Hokage expressed surprise that it was happening so soon.

The Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura discussed the Uchiha’s future after Hikaru became clan head, while the clan celebrated the news. Hikaru then discovered that years of unresolved clan business had been left for him, and the Third Elder explained that the elders lacked authority to handle it.

• The Third Hokage hoped Hikaru’s leadership would eventually bring changes to the Uchiha, while Mitokado Homura privately disliked the prospect of the clan prospering.
• The Uchiha’s new clan-head announcement drew attention away from the war, and the clan spent three days preparing before naming Hikaru.
• Hikaru moved into the clan head’s residence and found a mountain of documents awaiting him.
• The Third Elder told Hikaru that the documents had accumulated since Uchiha Shuu’s death because the elders lacked the authority to resolve them.

Hikaru struggled through the Uchiha Clan’s backlog after becoming clan leader, then welcomed Mikoto Uchiha when she came to visit. After hearing her complaints about her new ninja team, he invited her to train with Kushina, and he wondered whether Itachi Uchiha would still be born in the future.

• Hikaru accepted the clan leadership and began handling the mountain of documents left behind by the Great Elder.
• After days of work, Hikaru finished the backlog and saw Mikoto Uchiha, who had come to visit on her day off.
• Mikoto Uchiha complained that her teammates and Special Jonin teacher were useless, and Hikaru advised her to stick with the team for now.
• Hikaru invited Mikoto Uchiha to join Kushina’s training sessions, and she happily accepted.
• Hikaru looked at Mikoto Uchiha and wondered whether Itachi Uchiha would still be born.

Hikaru spent time with Mikoto Uchiha, Uzumaki Kujou, and Kushina before the fighting spread across the nations. As Konoha and Sunagakure clashed in the Land of Wind, Kumogakure launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure, forcing Ōnoki to rush back to defend his village.

• Mikoto Uchiha asked Hikaru to take her for barbecue, and he agreed to wait with her for Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina.
• Hikaru and the others went to a barbecue restaurant after Kushina and Uzumaki Kujou returned from the Ninja Academy.
• Danzo led Konoha's army into the Land of Wind, where the Third Kazekage's forces stopped their advance and fought them to a stalemate.
• The Third Kazekage launched a counteroffensive against Konoha, while Sunagakure's ninja welcomed fighting in familiar terrain without Hikaru.
• Kumogakure's army attacked Iwagakure by surprise as Ōnoki was focused on the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure.
• Ōnoki hurriedly led his army back to defend Iwagakure and angrily condemned the Third Raikage's attack.

As the great villages maneuvered during the Second Ninja War, Kirigakure targeted the Uzumaki Clan for help finding a Jinchuriki and searched for the Seven-Tails. Uzumaki Kin rejected Kirigakure’s request, leaving the envoy with no agreement.

• The narrator explained how old grievances and Kumogakure’s opportunistic attacks fueled conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure during the Second Ninja War.
• Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure tried to recruit Kirigakure into their alliances, but Kirigakure refused to join the war.
• Kirigakure targeted the Uzumaki Clan after learning it had provided Konoha with a new Jinchuriki, and it also searched for the Seven-Tails Chōmei.
• Uzumaki Kin told Kirigakure’s envoy that the Uzumaki Clan would cooperate only with Konoha and would not provide Kirigakure a Jinchuriki.
• Kirigakure’s envoy appealed to Kin by invoking the Third Mizukage’s sincerity, but Kin’s refusal left Kirigakure’s request rejected.

Uzumaki Kin firmly rejected Kirigakure’s request to send Uzumaki people to become the Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchuriki, insisting the Land of Whirlpools feared no one even without Konoha’s help. After hearing the envoy’s full report, the Third Mizukage summoned Kirigakure’s major clan heads to discuss the matter.

• Uzumaki Kin mocked the Kirigakure envoy and ordered him out after refusing Kirigakure’s proposal again.
• The Great Elder worried Kirigakure might retaliate, but Uzumaki Kin trusted the Land of Whirlpools’ seals to protect it.
• The Kirigakure envoy returned and recounted the meeting to the Third Mizukage in full.
• The Third Mizukage dismissed the envoy, reflected on Uzumaki Kin’s confidence, and called Kirigakure’s major clan heads to a meeting.

Kirigakure invaded the Land of Whirlpools under cover of fog, exploiting weakened seals to reach the village and launch a surprise assault. Uzumaki Kin confronted the Third Mizukage in the clan head's compound as the Uzumaki Clan's home burned around them.

• Kirigakure's forces landed at an unguarded part of the island and used specialists to pass through old or damaged seals.
• Uzumaki sentries spotted the approaching ninja and raised the alarm, prompting the Third Mizukage to order a direct assault.
• Uzumaki Kin rushed outside, saw Kirigakure ninja attacking his clansmen, and realized the village had been invaded.
• Kirigakure's prepared forces slaughtered Uzumaki Clan members and set the village ablaze, overwhelming them without the seals' protection.
• The Third Mizukage entered the clan head's compound and confronted Uzumaki Kin, declaring that his provocations had brought retribution.

After the Third Hokage sent Hikaru to investigate an urgent request for aid from the Uzumaki Clan, Hikaru and an Anbu squad hurried to the Land of Whirlpools. They found the village destroyed and apparently devoid of survivors, and Hikaru began examining the ruins for clues.

• Uzumaki Kin laughed at the Third Mizukage and threatened to bury him with the Uzumaki Clan.
• An Anbu ninja woke Hikaru and summoned him to the Hokage's Office, where the Third Hokage told him the Uzumaki Clan had requested urgent aid after enemies invaded their village.
• Hikaru led an Anbu squad across the sea toward the Land of Whirlpools instead of taking a boat.
• Hikaru and the squad arrived to find the docks deserted and the village reduced to ruins, with corpses lying everywhere.
• Hikaru ordered the squad to search for survivors and enemy traces while he examined the bodies and headed toward the clan chief's compound.

Hikaru investigated the ruined Uzumaki Clan village and concluded that Kirigakure was the most likely force behind its destruction. He ordered his squad to gather and burn the bodies, while the clan’s fate and the survival of any members elsewhere remained uncertain.

• Hikaru searched the village ruins and found no clan leaders, elders, survivors, or useful battle clues.
• Hikaru reasoned that the Uzumaki Clan’s strength made Kirigakure the likeliest attacker, since the other Great Villages were occupied by war or allied with the clan.
• Hikaru told his squad that only a powerful nation could have destroyed the Uzumaki Clan overnight, prompting them to suspect Kirigakure.
• Hikaru ordered the squad to gather the bodies and burn them because the Uzumaki Clan had once been an ally.
• The five squad members divided the corpses into groups and began preparing to burn them with Explosive Tags and Fire Style ninjutsu.

Hikaru returned from the Land of Whirlpools after finding the Uzumaki Clan’s village destroyed and no survivors, with Kirigakure as his suspected culprit. He told the Third Hokage the tragic news, leaving Konoha to face the loss and uncertainty over the attack.

• Hikaru burned the bodies in the ruins, then led his squad away from the Land of Whirlpools by boat.
• On the journey back, Hikaru worried about how to tell Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina that their clan had been wiped out.
• Hikaru and his squad reached Konoha at dawn, and Hikaru went straight to the Hokage Office.
• The Third Hokage dismissed the waiting mission squads and asked Hikaru for his report.
• Hikaru told the Third Hokage that the Uzumaki Clan had been exterminated and said Kirigakure might have been responsible.
• The Third Hokage reacted with fury, while Hikaru suggested that long-standing conflict with Kirigakure had led to the attack.

Hikaru informed Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina that the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out, then was summoned by the Third Hokage when Mito Uzumaki's health suddenly deteriorated. He hurried to the Senju Clan grounds as Mito's body began to fail after the news.

• Hikaru told the Third Hokage that Konoha could do little beyond condemn Kirigakure, then returned home to speak with Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina.
• Hikaru told Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina that their parents and the entire Uzumaki Clan had been killed in an attack by an unknown enemy.
• Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina broke down in tears, and Hikaru instructed the guards to arrange their leave from the Ninja Academy and stay with them.
• A messenger summoned Hikaru to the Hokage Office, where the Third Hokage said Mito Uzumaki's body could no longer hold on.
• The Third Hokage led Hikaru toward the Senju Clan grounds after Mito Uzumaki's health worsened following the news of the Uzumaki Clan's destruction.

Mito Uzumaki's health rapidly worsened, threatening to destabilize the Nine-Tails' seal, so the Third Hokage brought Hikaru to the Senju compound to prepare for its escape. As the Nine-Tails began struggling against the weakening seal, Mito asked the Third Hokage to care for the Senju Clan and asked whether Hikaru had come.

• The Third Hokage summoned Hikaru and rushed with him to the Senju compound after learning that Mito Uzumaki might die and release the Nine-Tails.
• Hikaru agreed to guard outside with the Anbu and promised to subdue the Nine-Tails if it escaped.
• The Nine-Tails sensed Mito Uzumaki's weakening seal and began thrashing in an attempt to break free.
• The Third Hokage found Mito Uzumaki near death as Senju Clan members gathered around her.
• Mito Uzumaki asked the Third Hokage to look after the Senju Clan and then asked whether Hikaru had come.

Mito Uzumaki asked the Third Hokage to tell Hikaru to treat Tsunade well before she rested. News of the Uzumaki Clan’s destruction spread across the Ninja World, leaving Konoha and its allies grieving while the other great villages suspected Kirigakure.

• Mito Uzumaki told the Third Hokage to tell Hikaru to treat Tsunade well, then closed her eyes to rest.
• The Third Hokage left Mito Uzumaki’s room as news of the Uzumaki Clan’s destruction spread from the Land of Whirlpools and Konoha.
• Danzo considered Konoha’s loss of the Uzumaki Clan and informed the Senju Clan of the destruction.
• The Senju Clan reacted with shock and demanded that Konoha identify the enemy and seek justice.
• The Third Kazekage, Ōnoki, and the Third Raikage suspected Kirigakure, while Sunagakure and Iwagakure regarded Konoha’s loss as an advantage.

After Mito Uzumaki's death, Hikaru took charge of the scroll sealing the Nine-Tails while Konoha's Senju Clan grieved. When Kushina returned to the Ninja Academy, she got into a fight that sent several students and a teacher to Konoha Hospital, prompting the Third Hokage to summon Hikaru.

• Mito Uzumaki died, and the Third Hokage gave Hikaru the scroll containing the unstable seal meant to restrain the Nine-Tails.
• Hikaru kept the scroll with him and skipped Mito Uzumaki's funeral, while the grieving Senju Clan sent representatives in his place.
• Uzumaki Kujou and Kushina returned to the Ninja Academy after recovering from their loss, though Kushina remained quick to anger.
• The Third Hokage ordered Hikaru to visit Konoha Hospital, and an Intelligence Department member explained that Kushina had fought classmates and injured a teacher who tried to intervene.

After parents of children injured by Kushina gathered at Konoha Hospital to demand an explanation, Hikaru arrived to settle the dispute. He condemned the parents for demanding hospitalization for minor injuries, but they continued to challenge him and threaten to complain to the Hokage Office Building.

• The Third Hokage sent Hikaru to Konoha Hospital after the injured children's parents made a scene.
• Hikaru went to the hospital, where the parents berated Kushina and Uzumaki Kujou over the children's injuries and their red hair.
• Hikaru took the sisters to see the hospitalized children and mocked the severity of their injuries.
• Hikaru scolded the parents and medical staff, arguing that the children only needed medicine and that hospital beds should be reserved for wartime casualties.
• One parent accused Hikaru of bullying ordinary people, and the parents threatened to file a complaint at the Hokage Office Building.