Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Makoto stopped a group of children from bullying Uchiha Nako by trapping them in a genjutsu that made them experience being bullied themselves. Afterward, Nako explained she had avoided fighting back because she feared worsening rumors about the Uchiha, leaving Makoto troubled by her timidity.

• A boy charged at Uchiha Makoto, who dodged him and tripped him with a controlled kick.
• The boy ordered his companions to attack Makoto and declared that the Uchiha had to keep their tails between their legs in Konoha.
• Makoto used genjutsu to make the five bullies experience several days of helpless abuse, then released them as they collapsed in fear.
• Uchiha Nako thanked Makoto and introduced herself as a third-year student at the Ninja Academy.
• Nako said she had not fought back because she feared that hurting civilian children would worsen rumors about the Uchiha, and Makoto told her she did not seem like an Uchiha.

Uchiha Makoto confronted Nako about letting others bully her, and she revealed that she was an orphan with no one to guide her. As he reconsidered her usefulness as a low-profile test subject for his scientific ninja tool prototypes, he turned back and asked whether she wanted to become stronger.

• Uchiha Makoto told Nako that enduring bullying would only encourage her tormentors, and she quietly resolved to take responsibility for protecting herself.
• Nako explained that her parents had died in a border conflict and that she lived in the clan orphan dormitory.
• Uchiha Makoto initially dismissed Nako as an insignificant person unworthy of his time, then reconsidered her as a possible test subject for his prototypes.
• Uchiha Makoto turned back toward Nako after the bullies fled and asked whether she wanted to become stronger.

Uchiha Makoto offered to train Uchiha Nako, and she agreed to follow his methods in hopes of becoming stronger. After setting their first meeting for a week later, Makoto considered the need to build a team for his future plans.

• Uchiha Makoto asked Uchiha Nako whether she wanted to become stronger, and she resolved to accept his help.
• Makoto warned Nako that his training required absolute obedience and that he would take back what she gained if she disobeyed or quit.
• Nako agreed to follow Makoto's instructions, and he told her to come to his house in the evening a week later.
• Makoto returned home and reflected that even the strongest shinobi needed trusted allies to help carry out their plans.

Uchiha Makoto planned to recruit Nako as a loyal operative and test subject while developing a way to stimulate Uchiha Sharingan growth. After learning that Hatake Sakumo had failed an S-rank mission, Makoto monitored the village as public condemnation of the White Fang began to spread.

• Uchiha Makoto decided that Nako’s obedience and lack of clan ties made her suitable for his team and for testing his Scientific Ninja Tools.
• Uchiha Makoto planned to use the system to create a basic Sharingan stimulation protocol, which he intended to discuss with Obito and Shisui.
• Uchiha Makoto left Orochimaru’s Laboratory and heard villagers blaming Hatake Sakumo for abandoning his mission objective to save a teammate.
• Uchiha Makoto returned to his Secret Base and reviewed surveillance gathered by Moyu’s disguised clones around the village.
• Uchiha Makoto confirmed that families of the dead and ordinary villagers were increasingly condemning Hatake Sakumo.

Uchiha Makoto watched the village divide over Hatake Sakumo’s mission failure and weighed whether to intervene, while observing how the crisis affected Kakashi and Obito. When Orochimaru questioned him about Sakumo, Makoto gave a cautious answer that left his teacher suspecting he had already chosen a side.

• Uchiha Makoto monitored the growing criticism of Hatake Sakumo and considered waiting to learn which factions were shaping the dispute before intervening.
• Uchiha Makoto noticed Kakashi’s distraction and kept Sakumo’s crisis in mind as a possible turning point in Kakashi’s life.
• Obito told Uchiha Makoto that saving comrades mattered more than completing a mission, then glanced guiltily at the brooding Kakashi.
• Orochimaru asked Uchiha Makoto what he thought of the controversy, and Makoto said Sakumo had made his choice and borne its consequences.
• Orochimaru remarked that Makoto seemed to have already formed his own answer.

Uchiha Makoto monitored Hatake Sakumo’s worsening isolation and identified Nakajima Ken’s public criticism as the final straw that could push him over the edge. To delay that breaking point, Makoto ordered Uchiha Nako to prepare a covert operation against Nakajima.

• Uchiha Makoto watched Hatake Sakumo withdraw from public life and archived evidence of a suspected organized campaign against him.
• Uchiha Makoto identified Nakajima Ken as Sakumo’s rescued teammate and saw him publicly blame Sakumo for the mission’s failure.
• Uchiha Makoto decided Nakajima Ken had to disappear to keep Sakumo’s mental state from collapsing prematurely.
• Uchiha Nako arrived at Makoto’s command, and he gave her improved Silent Veil prototypes and orders to place them around Nakajima Ken’s courtyard.

Uchiha Makoto sent Nako to deploy four Silent Veils around Nakajima Ken’s home, then entered the isolated house to confront the special jōnin. Nakajima realized he could not reach the outside and began defending himself as Makoto faced him at the top of the stairs.

• Uchiha Makoto gave Nako four Silent Veils and ordered her to cover Nakajima Ken’s courtyard and nearby area.
• Nako reported that all four devices were in place, and Uchiha Makoto left the clan grounds for Nakajima Ken’s home.
• Uchiha Makoto activated the Silent Veils, sealing sounds and chakra signals inside the perimeter, then entered the house alone.
• Nakajima Ken sensed the intruder and found that his chakra perception could not reach beyond the house.
• Nakajima Ken formed hand seals and used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.

Uchiha Makoto used his newly developed Eight Spider Lances to break Nakajima Ken’s Earth Release attacks and charge through his defenses. As Nakajima Ken launched his finishing strike, Makoto revealed the Sharingan, Byakugan, and blinding-light weaponry built into his Six-Eyed Mask.

• Nakajima Ken trapped Uchiha Makoto between converging Earth Flow Walls and shuriken, but Makoto deployed his Eight Spider Lances to tear through the walls and deflect the weapons.
• Makoto used the lance legs to propel himself at Nakajima Ken and cut through a barrage of Earth Flow Spears.
• Nakajima Ken formed a giant spiked stone club with Earth Release: Rock Theft Staff and swung it at Makoto’s head.
• Makoto stopped and revealed the Six-Eyed Mask’s cloned Sharingan and Byakugan, then activated its Strong-Light Illusion Generator as Nakajima Ken stared at it.

Uchiha Makoto defeated Nakajima Ken with two Scientific Ninja Tools, then arranged to disguise his death as an illness. He reviewed the White Fang slander blacklist and prepared to visit its fifty most active targets as Hatake Sakumo’s crisis drew closer.

• Uchiha Makoto used the Eight Spider Lances and Six-Eyed Mask to incapacitate Nakajima Ken in seconds.
• Uchiha Makoto injected Nakajima Ken with a neurotoxin and ordered Nako to erase the fight’s traces.
• Uchiha Makoto left the house under the Silent Veil, while the isolation field concealed the scene until it was cleaned up.
• Uchiha Makoto assessed the tools’ combat performance and concluded that he could not wait to address the slander threatening Hatake Sakumo.
• Uchiha Makoto selected fifty prominent slanderers from the blacklist and prepared his improved Memory Mist Type-3 Injector.

Uchiha Makoto secretly dosed people in fifty households who had spoken against Hatake Sakumo, using genjutsu to make them sleep and leaving no traces. Exhausted after finishing the list, he returned to the Secret Base and instructed Nako to begin creating positive voices.

• Uchiha Makoto infiltrated Fujita's home, dosed the family, and burned Fujita's denunciation letter against Hatake Sakumo.
• Uchiha Makoto dosed Kobayashi and left his resentful diary untouched as a sample of human ugliness.
• Uchiha Makoto dosed Yamamoto's family, including a young girl and Yamamoto's elderly father.
• Uchiha Makoto repeated the process through the listed households until he dosed Nakamura's family just before dawn.
• Uchiha Makoto returned to the Secret Base drained, then contacted Nako and ordered the next phase of his plan to create positive voices.

Uchiha Makoto secretly launched a campaign to restore Hatake Sakumo’s reputation while blaming Hiruzen Sarutobi for allowing the rumors to spread. The chapter ended with Hiruzen receiving a report of widespread unexplained illness and a critically ill Special Jōnin Nakajima Ken.

• Uchiha Makoto instructed Nako to spread sympathetic accounts of Hatake Sakumo’s mission through casual conversations.
• Uchiha Makoto arranged anonymous thank-you letters, temporary supportive graffiti, and subtle encouragement from respected villagers to counter the insults against Sakumo.
• Uchiha Makoto suspected Danzo was attacking Sakumo with Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tacit approval, then encrypted the operation records in a folder named “Weeding and Sowing Plan.”
• An Anbu reported that fifty-three households had developed memory loss, slowed responses, and emotional apathy over the past week, with no clear cause found.
• An Anbu reported that Special Jōnin Nakajima Ken had suffered a stroke and was unlikely to survive, while Hiruzen Sarutobi listened in silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi concealed the retaliation against Sakumo’s critics and ordered Danzo to stop interfering, prioritizing the village’s stability and Sakumo’s return to service. Two afternoons later, Uchiha Makoto visited the withdrawn Sakumo and Kakashi, telling Sakumo he had done nothing wrong.

• Hiruzen questioned an Anbu about the unexplained illnesses affecting more than fifty households and a paralyzed Special Jōnin, all of whom had insulted Sakumo.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen to investigate the incidents, but Hiruzen warned him that his campaign against Sakumo had attracted retaliation from other forces.
• Hiruzen ended the investigation, ordered the Medical Corps to attribute the cases to food poisoning, and told Danzo not to overreach again.
• Danzo condemned Hiruzen’s decision and stormed out, while Hiruzen reflected that the village belonged to no one person.
• Uchiha Makoto visited the Hatake Clan residence, where Kakashi let him in and he found Sakumo sitting withdrawn beneath the veranda.
• Uchiha Makoto sat beside Sakumo and told him that he did not think Sakumo had done anything wrong.

Uchiha Makoto comforted Hatake Sakumo, helping him begin to recover from despair after abandoning a mission to save his comrades. As village opinion softened and hidden forces suppressed the attacks against him, Sakumo returned to patrol work and grew closer to Kakashi.

• Uchiha Makoto told Sakumo that his choice to save his comrades had come from good intentions and urged him to prove himself through future actions.
• Sakumo thanked Makoto, and Kakashi, listening outside, reflected on the idea that heroes should be judged by their intentions.
• After meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sakumo began grooming himself and taking walks as public criticism of him gave way to sympathy.
• Nako secretly encouraged the shift in public opinion, while the Medical Corps blamed villagers’ neurological symptoms on contaminated imported dried goods.
• Sakumo noticed that his critics had fallen silent and learned that Nakajima Ken had suddenly become seriously ill, leaving him uneasy about whoever was helping him.
• Sakumo resumed simple patrol missions and showed Kakashi more concern as spring arrived and Kakashi trained in Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

Uchiha Makoto reflected on the storm he expected in Konoha’s future while Kakashi prepared a birthday cake for Cheng with help from Hatake Sakumo. Kakashi left with the cake and Sakumo’s gift, as Obito and Guy headed to Cheng’s birthday party together.

• Uchiha Makoto thought about the events awaiting Konoha and watched Hokage Rock from the sidelines.
• Kakashi attempted to bake a birthday cake for Cheng, and Sakumo joined him to offer advice.
• Sakumo told Kakashi that Makoto’s encouragement had helped him recover and asked him to thank Cheng.
• Kakashi successfully baked and decorated a cake, then left with it and Sakumo’s thank-you gift for Cheng.
• Obito walked through Konoha with birthday presents while Guy enthusiastically followed him.

Uchiha Makoto hosted a lively birthday gathering, where his friends mistook his ordinary interactions with Nako and Kurenai Yuhi for a romantic rivalry. He served dishes inspired by food from his past, and the party continued when Asuma Sarutobi and Harada Yuichi arrived.

• Obito and Guy ran into Kakashi on their way to Uchiha Makoto's birthday party and compared their gifts with his.
• At Makoto's home, Shisui noticed Nako's unusually attentive manner toward Makoto, while Kurenai sat beside him and helped prepare the table.
• Obito, Guy, and Kakashi read romantic meaning into Kurenai and Nako's attention to Makoto, who retreated to the kitchen to avoid their teasing.
• Makoto served his guests several unfamiliar dishes inspired by Chinese cuisine, including squirrel fish, fish-fragrant shredded pork, and mixed seafood stew.
• Nako answered a knock at the door and found Asuma Sarutobi and Harada Yuichi waiting outside.

Uchiha Makoto celebrated his ninth birthday with friends, then faced the looming threat of war and accepted two orphaned Uchiha boys into his circle. Uchiha Shun and Uchiha Entetsu arrived seeking his protection as they prepared to graduate and enter service.

• Asuma, Harada Yuichi, and Makoto's classmates joined his birthday party, filling his home with food and laughter.
• After the guests left, Makoto reflected on rising border tensions and the approaching war, while dismissing the idea of seeking out Minato Namikaze for influence.
• Uchiha Shun and Uchiha Entetsu arrived at Makoto's home and knelt to show their respect.
• Makoto recognized the boys as orphaned Uchiha about to graduate and considered how joining his circle could keep them from being sent to the front without support.
• Makoto recalled that Nako had helped identify promising orphan candidates before he approached the boys with his terms.

Uchiha Makoto recruited Shun and Entetsu, prepared specialized ninja tools for his three young subordinates, and grew more determined to form his own squad. With the Secret Base’s new combat arena ready, he handed out Six-Eyed Masks for their training.

• Uchiha Makoto secured Shun and Entetsu’s loyalty and assigned Nako, Shun, and Entetsu specialized roles in his planned team.
• Uchiha Makoto made Nako an improved medical kit, Shun Shadow Tabi, and Entetsu a Flame Gauntlet set, but worried they could not safely use them on other Genin squads.
• Uchiha Makoto grew wary of Orochimaru’s interest in him and decided to accelerate his plans to form a squad under his own command.
• Cheng manifested the Secret Base’s third-floor combat arena, featuring simulated forest and ruins terrain, moving obstacles, and energy-absorbing panels.
• Uchiha Makoto brought Nako, Shun, and Entetsu to the new arena and began handing out Six-Eyed Masks, starting with Nako’s mask equipped with cloned Sharingan and support Ninjutsu rounds.

Cheng tested Nako, Shun, and Entetsu in a timed team fight, equipping them with masks containing specialized eyes and single-use ninjutsu bombs. The trio began the battle, but Nako wasted a flashbang, and Entetsu launched a pair of attacks as the fight continued.

• Cheng gave Nako, Shun, and Entetsu masks fitted with cloning Sharingan or Byakugan and four ninjutsu bombs apiece.
• Cheng explained the team roles and set a challenge: survive fifteen minutes or land meaningful damage without everyone being taken out.
• The trio activated their masks, and Entetsu spotted Cheng rushing toward Nako while Shun shoved her out of his path.
• Cheng used an auditory genjutsu, and Nako panicked and fired a flashbang in the wrong direction, wasting one bomb.
• Entetsu seized an opening and triggered two Earth Release: Rock Wall Bullet attacks.

Cheng tested Nako, Shun, and Yantie in a simulated battle, forcing them to use all twelve ninjutsu bombs and nearly exhausting themselves before the exercise ended. He reviewed their performance, praised their equipment and some individual skills, then warned that they needed better teamwork and stronger fundamentals.

• Cheng evaded the trio’s attacks and disrupted Shun’s smoke screen while counting their remaining bombs aloud.
• Yantie, Shun, and Nako coordinated an attack with six bombs, but Cheng found a narrow gap and escaped with only a tear in his sleeve.
• Cheng used the Hell Viewing Technique to freeze the trio’s movements just before the exercise whistle ended the battle.
• Cheng replayed the fight footage as Nako, Shun, and Yantie admitted their mistakes and discussed what they had learned.
• Cheng acknowledged their strengths but criticized their coordination, Nako’s wasted ammunition, and their reliance on bombs over basic skills.

Obito, Guy, Kakashi, and Shisui visited Uchiha Makoto to ask about his cooking, and Shisui suggested he open a restaurant specializing in Chinese cuisine. The chapter then ended with Makoto reviewing a training battle and reconsidering the potential of a combat style built around Ninjutsu Bullets.

• Obito, Guy, Kakashi, and Shisui visited Uchiha Makoto and asked him how he had made the dishes from his birthday.
• Shisui proposed that Uchiha Makoto open a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine, which had impressed several of their friends.
• After a training session, Uchiha Makoto halved three trainees' Ninjutsu Bullet allotment and added coordination drills to improve their teamwork.
• Uchiha Makoto reviewed combat footage and realized that a fighting style built around equipment and Ninjutsu Bullets might have real potential.