Chapter Summaries

Xia Yu met ninja cats Hina and Taka, agreed to place a large order for explosive tags with Cat Granny, and received a scroll from Uchiha Itachi. He opened the scroll, unaware of what it contained.

• Xia Yu spent the night visiting Uchiha wives and emerged in the morning feeling energized.
• Hina and Taka stopped Xia Yu and asked him to buy them Silvervine Drink.
• Hina told Xia Yu that Cat Granny was struggling because the Uchiha had not ordered ninja tools in nearly two years.
• Xia Yu promised Cat Granny a large order of explosive tags, with payment on delivery.
• Hina gave Xia Yu a scroll from another Uchiha and warned him not to tell Sasuke; Xia Yu suspected Itachi had sent it and opened it.

Xia Yu met Uchiha Itachi in a mountain grove and pressed him to reveal his loyalties, then explained his own plans to unite the Uchiha and the village. Itachi agreed to atone by protecting Konoha from the shadows, while Xia Yu asked him to arrange a brief chance to see Konan.

• Xia Yu followed Itachi's crow to a grove and asked whether Itachi sided with Konoha or the Uchiha.
• Xia Yu told Itachi he had brought Danzo down, revealed his goal of protecting both the Uchiha and the village, and said Sasuke was safe.
• Itachi declared that he would always protect Konoha, and Xia Yu claimed his Mangekyō ability let him see all secrets.
• Xia Yu urged Itachi to atone and help change the village, and Itachi agreed to keep protecting Konoha from the shadows for the Uchiha.
• Xia Yu asked Itachi to help him briefly see Konan, and Itachi confirmed she was in his organization.

Itachi summoned Xia Yu to Yugakure, where Akatsuki members were investigating an apparently immortal murderer. Konan encountered the killer, Hidan, while Kakuzu and Itachi followed in concealment.

• Itachi ended his conversation with Xia Yu after the Akatsuki Leader summoned him to assemble.
• At the Akatsuki base, Sasori and Deidara reported that they had destroyed Orochimaru’s lair but could not confirm his death.
• Pain assigned Itachi, Konan, and Kakuzu to investigate a murderous maniac in Yugakure.
• Itachi contacted Xia Yu through a crow and invited him to Yugakure; Xia Yu recognized that Hidan was about to join the Akatsuki and set off.
• In Yugakure, Itachi suspected the killer’s murders were part of a sacrificial ritual, and Konan went ahead as bait.
• Hidan approached Konan, invited her to join the Jashin Cult, then drew his Triple-Bladed Scythe and threatened to sacrifice her.

Kakuzu, Uchiha Itachi, and Konan fought Hidan, discovered how his blood-based ritual transferred injuries, and tried to recruit him into Akatsuki. Just as Hidan considered joining, Konan collapsed with a severe stomachache, and Itachi realized someone else might be involved.

• Kakuzu attacked Hidan and confirmed that Hidan could survive being pierced through the chest.
• Hidan used Kakuzu’s blood in a ritual and transferred the damage from stabbing himself to Kakuzu, who survived when a masked monster emerged from his body.
• Konan and Uchiha Itachi stopped the fight and offered Hidan a place in Akatsuki, persuading him that the group could help spread his faith.
• Konan suddenly fell clutching her stomach, and Kakuzu and Uchiha Itachi suspected Hidan had caused her pain.
• Hidan denied using his ability, and Uchiha Itachi realized Konan’s stomachache was not a pretense.

Konan collapsed from severe pain while Kakuzu and Uchiha Itachi prepared to return to base, and Xia Yu returned to Konoha with his chakra doubled by a system reward. There, he ran into Uzuki Yugao, who confessed that she loved him and wanted to marry him.

• Uchiha Itachi noticed the crow that carried messages between him and Xia Yu, but Xia Yu left before Itachi could confront him.
• Konan’s pain worsened until she passed out, and Kakuzu offered to kill her for the bounty.
• Uchiha Itachi warned Kakuzu against harming Konan, then carried her and led the group back to base.
• Xia Yu returned to Konoha and received a system reward that doubled his chakra after an Uchiha clan member was added.
• Xia Yu bumped into Uzuki Yugao, who was dressed in a pink kimono, and she confessed that she liked him and wanted to marry him.

Uzuki Yugao approached Xia Yu under orders from the Third Hokage, pretending to want to marry him, but Xia Yu recognized her behavior as suspicious and accepted anyway. He announced that he would hold a grand wedding with Yugao and Kurenai the next day, leaving Yugao alarmed that her secret mission could trap her in his life for good.

• Uzuki Yugao proposed to Xia Yu after awkwardly using lines she had learned while preparing for her mission.
• Xia Yu noticed Yugao’s unusual behavior and tears, and suspected the Third Hokage had sent her to spy on him.
• Xia Yu accepted Yugao as his wife and pulled her into his arms, while Yugao briefly resisted before pretending to be affectionate.
• Xia Yu said he would hold a grand wedding with Yugao and Kurenai the next day.
• Yugao tried to avoid the wedding, fearing it would expose her mission and prevent her from quietly leaving after a year.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo in the psychiatric hospital and learned that Danzo had stolen Shisui Uchiha’s Sharingan, implanted Hashirama cells, and worked with Orochimaru. After Danzo urged him to join in another Uchiha massacre, Hiruzen killed him, determined to become ruthless without relying on Danzo.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Danzo and refused to let him leave the psychiatric hospital.
• Hiruzen demanded to know why Danzo had Shisui Uchiha’s Sharingan and an arm implanted with Sharingan.
• Danzo admitted that he had seized Shisui’s eye, obtained Hashirama cells through Orochimaru, and collected Sharingan from Uchiha victims.
• Danzo warned Hiruzen that Xia Yu knew his secrets and urged him to join a new massacre of the Uchiha, including Sasuke.
• Hiruzen said Danzo’s schemes had crossed the line and killed him with a kunai.

Hiruzen Sarutobi learned of Orochimaru’s spy Kabuto after Danzo died, then ordered Uzuki Yugao to uncover Xia Yu’s Mangekyō ability. Yugao successfully coaxed Xia Yu into revealing that it was called See Through Everything, though its description left her stunned.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi killed Danzo, who used his final moments to warn him that Kabuto was Orochimaru’s spy in Konoha.
• Hiruzen told Anbu to retrieve Danzo’s body and read Uzuki Yugao’s report that she had gained Xia Yu’s trust and would become his wife.
• Hiruzen ordered Yugao to discover Xia Yu’s Mangekyō ability and sent Anbu to investigate Kabuto.
• Hiruzen learned that Uchiha wives staffed most of the police department under Mitaraishi Anko and decided to speak with her.
• Yugao asked Xia Yu about his Mangekyō, and he revealed his ability, See Through Everything, which let him see people’s thoughts, past, future, and present.

Uzuki Yugao woke from Xia Yu’s Sharingan illusion and accused him of violating her, but he said the illusion had tested how far she would go to obey the Hokage. His questions made her reconsider her unquestioning loyalty to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Uchiha’s persecution. She was left uncertain about what was real and whether the Hokage’s orders truly served Konoha.

• Uzuki Yugao woke in Xia Yu’s home and learned that her experience with him had been a Sharingan illusion.
• Uzuki Yugao accused Xia Yu of exploiting her, while he denied touching her and explained that he had wanted to test her resolve to follow the Hokage’s orders.
• Xia Yu challenged Uzuki Yugao to consider why Hiruzen Sarutobi had given her such a degrading mission and argued that he feared the Uchiha’s power.
• Uzuki Yugao recalled her role in the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre and in helping Danzo escape interrogation under Hiruzen Sarutobi’s orders.
• Uzuki Yugao questioned her lifelong loyalty and concluded that the persecution of the Uchiha was evident, while the claim of protecting Konoha felt intangible.

Xia Yu earned Uzuki Yugao’s trust by treating her with consideration, and she chose to stay with him that night. While they slept, Konoha learned that Shimura Danzō had died by suicide in the mental hospital.

• Xia Yu left Uzuki Yugao alone, telling her he would not expose her as a spy or force her to do anything.
• Uzuki Yugao called Xia Yu back and admitted that his behavior contradicted the rumors about him.
• Uzuki Yugao said she was ready to live for herself and asked Xia Yu to use his Mangekyō Sharingan to understand her feelings.
• Uzuki Yugao stopped Xia Yu from leaving, and he stayed with her for the night.
• The Third Hokage announced that Shimura Danzō had taken his own life in the mental hospital, prompting discussion among Konoha’s villagers.

Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi suspected that Hiruzen Sarutobi had concealed Danzo’s crimes and might have caused his death, while Shikaku predicted Danzo’s funeral would bring a major announcement. Xia Yu learned of Danzo’s reported suicide and refused to postpone his wedding, ordering Sasuke to join the celebration instead of attending the funeral.

• Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi discussed their suspicions that Danzo’s death and the Uchiha massacre were connected to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Shikamaru Nara told the trio that the academy had dismissed its students so they could attend Danzo’s funeral, leading Shikaku to suspect Hiruzen planned a major announcement.
• Xia Yu woke and began preparing a wedding for Kurenai Yuhi and his newly married wives, including Uzuki Yugao.
• Sasuke told Xia Yu that Danzo had reportedly killed himself and that the village had ordered everyone to attend the funeral.
• Xia Yu suspected Hiruzen Sarutobi had killed Danzo and insisted on holding his wedding that day, telling Sasuke to take off his mourning clothes and help with the celebration.

At Danzo's funeral, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed Danzo's crimes, including his role in the Uchiha Clan Massacre, while fireworks from Xia Yu's wedding at the Uchiha Clan Compound continued overhead. Shikaku Nara feared that Konoha was about to face a major upheaval.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed that the Uchiha Clan had not attended Danzo's funeral and learned that Xia Yu was holding a wedding.
• When fireworks burst over the Uchiha Clan Compound, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent an Anbu member to investigate and learned Xia Yu was celebrating with his newly betrothed wives.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told the mourners that Danzo had stolen Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan, transplanted First Hokage Hashirama's cells, and masterminded the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
• Konoha's villagers erupted in anger at Danzo's crimes, while Shikaku Nara questioned why Hiruzen Sarutobi had publicly revealed them.
• Shikaku Nara told Inoichi and Choza that he feared Konoha would soon undergo a major upheaval as fireworks continued above the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Hiruzen Sarutobi publicly blamed Danzo, apologized for the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and staged an offer to resign that persuaded the villagers to beg him to stay. After promising compensation for the Uchiha Clan, he led Anbu squads to the Uchiha Clan Compound, where he planned a malicious gift for Xia Yu.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed an Anbu member’s concern and let the villagers vent their anger at Konoha High Command.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi blamed Danzo for the crimes and used a tearful apology to claim responsibility as Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered to step down, but the villagers urged him to remain in office.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi promised generous compensation for the Uchiha Clan and told the crowd to disperse.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped his remorseful act and led Anbu squads to the Uchiha Clan Compound, intending to torment Xia Yu with a planned gift.

Hiruzen Sarutobi offered Xia Yu leadership of Root and a Senior Advisor position, presenting the appointment as compensation for the Uchiha Clan’s suffering. Xia Yu recognized the offer as an attempt to make him a scapegoat but accepted so he could gain power and challenge Hiruzen.

• Sasuke brought Xia Yu out to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had arrived with masked Anbu Ninja.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Xia Yu that Danzo had killed himself and revealed Danzo’s crimes, then offered authority over Root and a vacant Senior Advisor position.
• Xia Yu accepted the positions, deciding that gaining influence would help him expose Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Xia Yu dismissed the Root ninja, but their leader asked him to restore the sealing jutsu on their tongues.
• Xia Yu told the Root leader to put his tongue away before they discussed the sealing jutsu.

Xia Yu took command of Root and ordered its members to remove the masks they had worn since joining. He gave them their first mission under him: attend his wedding with their real faces.

• Xia Yu reflected on Root's absolute obedience and learned that its members followed whoever was named their master.
• Xia Yu asked how long the Root members had worn their masks and told them to take them off.
• The Root members removed their masks, revealing youthful faces marked by indifference and composure.
• Xia Yu forbade them from wearing masks again and told them to reclaim their identities.
• Xia Yu assigned Root its first official mission under him: attend his wedding with their real faces.

At a wedding, Sasuke befriended four young Root members and persuaded Xia Yu to let them train with him. In Amegakure, Konan told Nagato she thought she was pregnant, leaving him stunned and demanding to know whose child it was.

• Xia Yu brought the Root members to the wedding, where four hungry newcomers watched the feast without moving.
• Sasuke introduced himself to Aburame Torune, Yamanaka Fū, Shin, and Sai, shared his rice balls, and asked them to train with him.
• Aburame Torune refused to go without orders, so Sasuke asked Xia Yu to authorize the outing.
• Xia Yu agreed, and Sasuke took the four Root kids outside to train.
• Konan told Nagato she thought she was pregnant, and Nagato demanded to know whose child it was.

Pain summoned the Akatsuki and announced that Konan was pregnant, but neither she nor Pain knew who the father was. The members denied involvement, and Pain suspended the investigation until the child was born while Konan stepped away from missions.

• Pain summoned the Akatsuki members and announced that Konan was pregnant.
• The members congratulated Pain and Konan before Pain revealed the child was not his and neither he nor Konan knew who the father was.
• The Akatsuki members denied being responsible and speculated that Tobi might be involved.
• Pain ended the accusations, said he believed Konan, and decided they would wait until the child was born to learn the truth.
• Pain told the members that Konan would focus on her pregnancy and stop taking missions.

On his first day as a Senior Advisor, Xia Yu roamed the Hokage Building and used his ability to make women suffer stomach pains and numbness. When reports of the building-wide incident reached Utatane Koharu, she realized that she alone had been left unaffected.

• Xia Yu got dressed and headed to the Hokage Building, intending to use his new position to explore it.
• He entered offices throughout the building, and women inside began suffering stomach pains and numbness after he visited.
• Xia Yu entered Utatane Koharu's office, where she questioned his appointment as a fellow Senior Advisor.
• Ninja reported that every woman in the building had developed the same symptoms and suspected poison.
• Utatane Koharu asked why she was unaffected, leaving the ninja unable to answer.

After women throughout the Hokage Building suddenly suffered stomach pains, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Danzo had helped Orochimaru plant Kabuto as a spy and assigned Xia Yu to investigate him. The meeting ended with a medical ninja reporting that all the affected women were pregnant.

• Medical staff treated the women who had fallen ill, and Hiruzen Sarutobi asked his advisers and Xia Yu to assess the suspicious incident.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura blamed Kumogakure, while Xia Yu agreed and insulted the suspected attackers.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed that Danzo had helped Orochimaru plant Kabuto in the village and explained why he wanted Kabuto watched rather than arrested.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Xia Yu to uncover Kabuto's mission and, if possible, find Orochimaru's hideout; Xia Yu accepted while planning to slack off.
• A medical ninja rushed in and reported that all the women who had fallen ill were pregnant.

Xia Yu investigated the mass pregnancy at Hiruzen Sarutobi's request, then met Kabuto Yakushi, who offered Hashirama cells and invited him to meet Orochimaru alone. Xia Yu agreed to go, leaving the Root members behind.

• A Medical Ninja reported that sixty-four women in the Hokage Building were pregnant, and Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Xia Yu to investigate Orochimaru and follow the lead on Kabuto.
• Xia Yu ordered three Root ninja to follow Kabuto Yakushi, then learned Kabuto had come to the Uchiha Clan Compound to see him.
• Kabuto explained that Orochimaru wanted to continue his cooperation with Root and showed Xia Yu a jar of viable Hashirama cells as an inducement.
• Kabuto invited Xia Yu to meet Orochimaru alone, and Xia Yu agreed despite a Root member's warning.