Chapter Summaries

Itachi agreed to help Uchiha Madara massacre the Uchiha Clan in exchange for protection for Sasuke and the village, while Danzo prepared Root to support the coup-night attack. Just as Itachi and Madara were about to begin, a huge explosion near the clan compound disrupted their plan, and they went to investigate.

• Itachi threatened Madara with his Mangekyō Sharingan, then agreed to join Akatsuki after the massacre in exchange for Madara sparing Konoha and Sasuke.
• Danzo arranged for the Uchiha police force to return home early and delayed Sasuke at the Ninja Academy as part of his plan.
• Itachi and Madara met near the Uchiha compound and agreed to divide the clan massacre between them, with Itachi taking the west and Madara the east.
• Itachi resolved to kill Izumi, Inabi, Yashiro, and his parents to weaken the clan and sever his ties to it.
• A massive blast sounded near the Uchiha compound, prompting Madara to postpone the operation and go with Itachi to investigate.

Fugaku and Mikoto discussed their family, Itachi’s distance, and Mikoto’s wish to have another child named Sarada. A tremendous crash interrupted them, and Fugaku learned that Uchiha Aokiji had returned.

• Fugaku came home early and told Mikoto that the Police Force equipment needed upgrading ahead of the planned coup.
• Fugaku worried that he had failed as a father and clan leader, and told Mikoto about Uchiha Izumi’s feelings for Itachi.
• Mikoto suggested that she and Fugaku have another child, proposed the name Sarada, and hoped the new baby might help bring the family closer.
• Fugaku and Mikoto agreed to speak with Itachi about where he stood, but a deafening crash interrupted their conversation.
• Fugaku went outside with the clan members and learned from a subordinate that Uchiha Aokiji had returned.

Aokiji returned to Konoha with Soul Fire, intending to confront the village’s leaders and build a peace-focused organization. He crashed through Konoha’s barrier near the Uchiha Clan Compound and ordered Soul Fire to attack the Uchiha who challenged him.

• Aokiji sent Fubuki Kakuyoku to gather information on powerful unaffiliated ninjas for his planned organization.
• Aokiji stepped off a cliff and used Soul Fire to fly toward Konoha.
• Aokiji detected Konoha’s barrier and ordered Soul Fire to smash through it and descend near the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Konoha’s barrier ninjas sensed the intrusion, warned others of a possible Tailed Beast-level threat, and rushed to report it and investigate.
• Uchiha clan members confronted Soul Fire, and Aokiji recognized their Three-Tomoe Sharingan as proof they were his clansmen.
• Aokiji ignored the Uchiha members’ demand for his identity and commanded Soul Fire to attack them.

Uchiha Aokiji tested the Uchiha Clan with his Mangekyō Sharingan and revealed himself after recognizing Itachi as Fugaku’s son. Fugaku arrived and recognized the supposedly dead Aokiji, who greeted him as an old acquaintance.

• Aokiji used the Soul Fire to attack the Uchiha Clan members, holding back as they tried to fight him.
• Itachi joined the battle, and Aokiji seized him with the Soul Fire before recognizing his strength and Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Aokiji released Itachi and deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, then praised him as Fugaku’s son.
• Aokiji identified himself as Uchiha Aokiji and asked the clan members to bring Fugaku to him.
• Fugaku arrived, recognized Aokiji, and heard him remark that Fugaku had made something of himself.

Aokiji reunited with the Uchiha Clan, prompting Fugaku to cancel the planned coup and alerting Danzo that Aokiji had returned. Meanwhile, Sasuke trained at the Ninja Academy and clashed with Naruto’s and his own admirers.

• Aokiji reunited with Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi, Yashiro, and the gathered Uchiha clan members.
• Fugaku canceled the Uchiha Clan’s planned coup and promised to explain the situation to Aokiji at home.
• Root members reported Aokiji’s return to Danzo, who reacted in disbelief upon hearing the full name Uchiha Aokiji.
• Sasuke impressed his classmates with his shuriken accuracy but measured himself against Itachi and resolved to improve.
• Sakura approached Sasuke, but Ino interrupted her, and the two girls began arguing over him.

Uchiha Aokiji learned that Fugaku planned a coup and warned him it would doom the Uchiha Clan, then revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and said he would pursue his own solution. Sasuke returned home, reunited with Itachi, and met Aokiji.

• Itachi explained to Aokiji why the Uchiha Clan had moved and why Fugaku intended to launch a coup.
• Fugaku asked Aokiji to support the coup, but Aokiji rebuked him and warned that victory would bring the village's lasting retaliation.
• Fugaku admitted he had been naïve, then asked whether the Uchiha Clan had to keep enduring their treatment.
• Aokiji revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and declared he would achieve his goal in his own way.
• Sasuke came home to a lavish dinner, learned Itachi was visiting, and rushed into Fugaku's room.
• Aokiji introduced himself to Sasuke as Uchiha Aokiji, and Sasuke recognized the name.

Aokiji reunited with Fugaku’s family and, after praising Itachi and encouraging Sasuke, asked to take Sasuke as his disciple. Sasuke accepted, while Itachi remained uneasy about leaving his younger brother in the hands of someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Sasuke recognized Aokiji from Itachi’s stories, and Fugaku told him to apologize and address Aokiji as his uncle.
• Aokiji joined the family meal, where Sasuke whispered to Itachi that he had never seen Fugaku smile before.
• Aokiji praised Itachi’s talent and suggested that Sasuke might be just as gifted, despite Fugaku’s doubts.
• Aokiji asked Sasuke to become his disciple, explaining that he had once wanted to teach Mikoto and that Sasuke had made a special impression on him.
• Fugaku and Mikoto approved, Sasuke promised to work hard, and Itachi congratulated him with lingering concern.

Aokiji explained to Fugaku why he had become estranged from Itachi, then revealed that he had planned the Daimyo’s son’s kidnapping and that Konoha’s higher-ups had later tried to kill him by using Tsunade. After showing his Mangekyō Sharingan, Aokiji declared that he would kill the higher-ups and their families to avenge Tsunade and secure fair treatment for the Uchiha Clan.

• Fugaku asked Aokiji to help understand Itachi’s situation, and Aokiji explained how Itachi’s talent and Fugaku’s reserved manner had widened the distance between them.
• Fugaku offered to return the clan head position to Aokiji, but Aokiji said Fugaku should remain acting clan head while he handled personal matters and sought revenge.
• Aokiji told Fugaku that he had planned the kidnapping of the Fire Country Daimyo’s son to avenge being punished after abandoning a mission.
• Aokiji explained that Konoha’s higher-ups had used Tsunade to ambush him, and Fugaku realized Aokiji had likely awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing her death.
• Aokiji revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and vowed to kill the higher-ups and every member of the families behind them.

Aokiji warned Fugaku that the village might be preparing to exterminate the Uchiha Clan and urged him to investigate the suspected conspiracy. Fugaku agreed to stand with Aokiji if the threat proved real, while Aokiji revealed ambitions reaching beyond Konoha to the entire Land of Fire.

• Fugaku urged Aokiji to limit his revenge, but Aokiji insisted he would eliminate those responsible and demanded that Fugaku not interfere.
• Aokiji mocked the Uchiha coup plan as naïve and warned that the village might already know about it and be planning to attack the clan.
• Fugaku mentioned that the Police Force had finished work early, and Aokiji suggested the unusual timing could signal a plot ahead of the coup.
• Aokiji urged Fugaku to consider whether people close to him, especially Itachi, might be involved, prompting Fugaku to question his son's loyalty.
• Fugaku vowed to oppose the village if its higher-ups intended to destroy the Uchiha Clan, and Aokiji disclosed his ambition to claim the entire Land of Fire.
• Fugaku pledged to end discrimination against his clansmen in his generation, while Aokiji planned to make him uncover the higher-ups' conspiracy.

Itachi accompanied Aokiji around the Uchiha clan and village, while Aokiji teased him about Izumi and urged him to become his son. After Itachi walked away, Aokiji vowed to bring Tsunade back to life.

• Itachi and Sasuke talked about Aokiji before Fugaku ordered Itachi to show Aokiji around the village the next day.
• Aokiji and Itachi toured the Uchiha clan grounds, where clan members greeted Aokiji after learning he had returned.
• Izumi met Itachi and Aokiji, and Aokiji teased them about being romantically involved.
• Aokiji urged Itachi to become his son, but Itachi ignored him and left.
• Aokiji reflected on his grief and vowed to bring Tsunade back to life.

Aokiji and Itachi walked through the village, where they encountered Kakashi and Might Guy and discussed Aokiji’s return. At a secluded cliff, Itachi told Aokiji that Orochimaru had defected, and Aokiji resolved to bring him back while criticizing the village’s higher-ups.

• Aokiji asked Itachi about Orochimaru, but Kakashi and Might Guy interrupted them in the street.
• Aokiji mistook Kakashi for his father, Sakumo, before Itachi explained who he was and Kakashi learned Aokiji had returned.
• Aokiji took Itachi to a cliff where he had once imagined the village’s future with his lover.
• Itachi told Aokiji that Orochimaru had defected after conducting human experiments on village comrades.
• Aokiji vowed to bring Orochimaru back and condemned the village’s higher-ups, while Itachi remembered Shisui and clenched his fist at the thought of Danzo.

Aokiji tested Sasuke’s school knowledge and Chakra nature, then introduced him to the Rasengan and began teaching him its principles. Sasuke chose to train in the A-rank technique and started practicing Chakra control under Aokiji’s guidance.

• Aokiji tested Sasuke on the Five Basic Natures and used Chakra Paper to discover that Sasuke had Fire and Lightning affinities.
• Aokiji explained Lightning Release but said he could not teach it, offering to ask Fugaku instead.
• Aokiji demonstrated the Rasengan by blasting a hole in a rock wall and explained that it used Chakra Form Transformation rather than a basic nature.
• Aokiji created an Ice Dragon with his Ice Release and let Sasuke ride it before continuing the lesson.
• Aokiji explained the Rasengan’s principles and training methods, and Sasuke chose to learn the A-rank technique and began practicing gathering Chakra in his hand.

After Fugaku doubted Sasuke’s ability to learn the Rasengan, Sasuke sought Aokiji’s help to awaken the Sharingan and earn his father’s acknowledgment. Aokiji brought Sasuke and Kuroko to a river, where he revealed that awakening the Sharingan might demand a terrible price.

• At dinner, Fugaku said Sasuke was too young to learn the Rasengan, upsetting Sasuke and angering Mikoto.
• Fugaku told Aokiji that a gathering for eligible clan members would take place at Naka Shrine in two days.
• Sasuke asked Aokiji how to awaken the Sharingan, and Aokiji warned that it could require a price.
• Sasuke agreed to proceed and brought Kuroko to meet Aokiji, while Fugaku secretly followed them.
• At the river, Aokiji held Kuroko over the water and told Sasuke he was going to kill the dog.

Aokiji staged Kuroko’s apparent death to force Sasuke to awaken his Sharingan, then revealed that Kuroko had survived. After witnessing Sasuke’s potential, Fugaku asked Aokiji to become his godfather, and Aokiji agreed.

• Aokiji explained that intense emotional pain could awaken the Sharingan and threatened Kuroko to provoke Sasuke.
• Aokiji gave Sasuke three minutes to defeat his Shadow Clone, but Sasuke was repeatedly knocked down and failed to stop Aokiji from apparently killing Kuroko.
• Sasuke awakened the Sharingan in grief, fell into the river while trying to reach Kuroko, and later woke to find Kuroko alive and Aokiji gone.
• Fugaku emerged after following Aokiji, thanked him for helping Sasuke, and agreed to reconsider comparing Sasuke with Itachi.
• Fugaku asked Aokiji to become Sasuke’s godfather, and Aokiji accepted.

At the Uchiha Clan meeting, Aokiji rejected the proposed coup and promised to find a way to earn the clan and village’s trust. He revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and its Soul Fire ability, calming the clan, then noticed Yashiro lingering after the meeting.

• Aokiji arrived at the Naka Shrine and told the assembled Uchiha that he opposed the coup; Itachi was relieved, while most clan members objected.
• Fugaku backed Aokiji’s decision and silenced younger Uchiha members who insulted him.
• Uchiha members described years of distrust from the village, including how the village had treated them during Nine-Tails Night, and demanded to know how they could trust it.
• Aokiji revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned the blue, half-bodied Soul Fire creature, stunning the clan.
• The Uchiha members abandoned their immediate push for a coup, and Aokiji dismissed them until a future meeting.
• Aokiji noticed Yashiro lingering after the others left and asked what he wanted to say.

Aokiji revealed his emerging Manji Release to Fugaku and announced plans to leave Konoha for several missions, leaving the Uchiha Clan in Fugaku’s care. The chapter ended with Hiruko telling Orochimaru that Aokiji had returned to Konoha, prompting Orochimaru’s interest.

• Aokiji told Fugaku that his Boil Release had been eliminated as Ice Release evolved toward a Kekkei Tōta, which he named Manji Release.
• Aokiji said he would leave the village to search for information on Orochimaru, withdraw money, visit the Land of Demons and Land of Grass, and possibly travel to the Land of Lightning.
• Aokiji explained that he planned to seek Moryo’s soul, find a red-haired Uzumaki girl, and obtain Kusagakure’s Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique.
• Aokiji left Fugaku responsible for the Uchiha Clan and told him to claim ignorance if the village higher-ups asked about his departure.
• Hiruko informed Orochimaru that Uchiha Aokiji had returned to Konoha, and Orochimaru stopped dissecting the corpse and smiled.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo discussed how to counter Aokiji, whose Soul Fire could devour souls and potentially make him stronger. Danzo proposed using Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami through the Mangekyō Sharingan he stole, while Hiruzen suggested the Reaper Death Seal as a last resort.

• Itachi reported his surveillance of Aokiji to the four elders and was ordered to keep monitoring the Uchiha Clan.
• Danzo warned that Aokiji’s return and Soul Fire made him dangerous, while Sarutobi Hiruzen forbade the elders from acting recklessly.
• Danzo revealed that he had killed Shisui and taken one of his Mangekyō Sharingan, and that he believed Itachi possessed the other eye.
• Danzo proposed using Kotoamatsukami against Aokiji and implied that they might need to target Itachi to obtain Shisui’s remaining eye.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed using the Reaper Death Seal if the situation reached that point, accepting that he might have to sacrifice himself for the village.

Itachi visited Sasuke during training and learned that Aokiji was guiding him toward Lightning Release and had helped him awaken his Sharingan. The brothers trained together, with Sasuke determined to use his new power to protect everyone.

• Itachi learned from Mikoto that Aokiji was away from the village, then went to find Sasuke in their old training woods.
• Itachi watched Sasuke perform strenuous physical exercises, then gave him Military Ration Pills when he finished.
• Sasuke told Itachi that Aokiji had tested his chakra affinity and was training him in the direction of the Third Raikage's Lightning Release.
• Itachi described the Third Raikage's abilities and encouraged Sasuke to become strong like him.
• Sasuke showed Itachi his newly awakened Sharingan and explained that Aokiji had helped him open it.
• Sasuke said he would use the Sharingan to protect everyone, and he and Itachi began training together.

Aokiji detected Obito following him and confronted the masked man, whose Kamui let him pass through Aokiji's attacks. Obito claimed to be Uchiha Madara and tried to recruit Aokiji, ending by offering to revive Tsunade.

• Aokiji used Ice Age to freeze the area and enhance his senses, then located a hidden figure and cut through the trees with an ice ring.
• Obito appeared in his orange-patterned mask, and Aokiji recognized him as the Uchiha who had been following them.
• Aokiji used his Mangekyō Sharingan and Soul Fire against Obito, but Obito passed through each attack with Kamui.
• Obito claimed to be Uchiha Madara and offered to remove his mask if Aokiji agreed to work for him.
• Aokiji rejected Obito's offer to help him take revenge on Konoha's leaders, but paused when Obito offered to revive Tsunade.

Aokiji drove Obito away after refusing to trust his promise to revive Tsunade, then assigned Fubuki Kakuyoku to gather intelligence in the Land of Water. He traveled to the Land of Grass, found information about the Uzumaki mother and daughter, and set out for Kusagakure to abduct them.

• Aokiji attacked Obito with the Soul Fire after Obito hesitated to revive Tsunade, forcing him to flee.
• Obito and Black and White Zetsu discussed Aokiji as a dangerous unknown and decided to wait before reclaiming Kakashi's eye.
• Aokiji sent Fubuki Kakuyoku to gather intelligence in the Land of Water and promised her power for useful information.
• Aokiji chose the Land of Grass as his next destination and used his Sharingan to interrogate a Kusagakure ninja about the Uzumaki mother and daughter.
• Aokiji devoured the Kusagakure ninja's soul with the Soul Fire and headed to Kusagakure to abduct the two Uzumaki.