Chapter Summaries

Senju Toka ordered the clan to use its wealth to secretly train recruits while the daimyo's envoy monitored Hokage spending. At the Hokage Building, Shimura Danzo balked at the Senju demand that he execute the families of thirty-six Root members, while Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned whether they could refuse.

• The Senju elders discussed the limits of their new school funding and the danger that Hiruzen Sarutobi might secretly train a larger force.
• Senju Toka ordered the daimyo's envoy to monitor Hokage spending and told Mito Uzumaki to have Miko recruit orphans for covert training bases.
• Toka insisted the Senju spend their accumulated wealth to rebuild their forces, and the elders supported her plan.
• Mito Uzumaki agreed to contact Risa about Tsunade's marriage and to use Uka's wedding to improve clan morale.
• At the Hokage Building, Shimura Danzo smashed a tea table after reading the Senju demand to execute the families of thirty-six Root members.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzo whether they could refuse the demand, and Danzo argued that the allied clans had over three thousand civilian ninja.

Hiruzen Sarutobi convinced Shimura Danzō that the four clans had to accept the Senju’s terms, and Danzō prepared a grim entrance gift before heading to the Senju compound. Hiruzen and Danzō arrived to meet the Senju, where the guards made them wait outside for half an hour.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Shimura Danzō that the Senju’s strength made resistance a threat to thousands of people, and Mitokado Homura urged Danzō to accept the humiliation and stay alive.
• Shimura Danzō agreed to wash his face and prepare an entrance gift, then ordered Tanuki to burn thirty-six bodies and send a severed head to the Senju.
• An Anbu delivered the Senju’s reply to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who decided that only he and Danzō would attend the meeting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō walked through Konoha as clan spies watched, then reached the Senju Clan Compound.
• A Senju guard told Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō they could enter in half an hour, and they waited beside the gate.

Uka Senju practiced Water Formation Wall under Chiharu's instruction before meeting Senju Maki, who had come to see the boy she was to marry. At the plaza, Uka studied his Wood Release and nearly struck Kenchū Senju with a wooden spike after Kenchū startled him.

• Uka Senju demonstrated Water Formation Wall, and Chiharu taught him about its weakness and when to use it.
• Uka met Senju Maki at the plaza after she approached him and asked if she was pretty.
• Chiharu greeted Maki, and Uka followed the two women while thinking about his arranged marriage.
• Uka practiced controlling Wood Release with a twig as he waited at the field.
• Kenchū Senju patted Uka on the shoulder without warning, causing Uka to release a wooden spike that he stopped just in time.

Uka Senju was brought to the execution viewing platform, where Mito Uzumaki announced that he and Tsunade would be engaged. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō arrived as the Senju prepared to punish Tachihito Senju, and the chapter ended as an unknown figure poured the contents of a bucket into the enclosure around him.

• Kenchū Senju escorted Uka Senju to the platform, where Mito Uzumaki told him to call her Grandma and announced his future engagement to Tsunade.
• Mito had Uka sit beside her to watch the proceedings as the Senju assembled for Tachihito Senju's punishment.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō entered the Senju grounds and took seats beside First Elder Sawagen Senju.
• Senji Senju ordered the execution to begin, and two Senju ninja brought Tachihito Senju into the arena.
• The ninja formed a Water Formation Wall around Tachihito, and a black-clad figure poured liquid from a bucket into the enclosure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized the Senju had made their falling-out public to turn the smaller shinobi clans against his faction, while the First Elder pressed him to return the child Danzo had taken. As the punishment continued, Shinji Senju prepared the next group, and Uka Senju ate the pastries Mito offered him.

• The First Elder explained the Aburame-bred ants used in the punishment, and Hiruzen Sarutobi praised the Senju while privately cursing them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that the open gate and public punishment were meant to spread the Senju's accusations and keep small clans from supporting his faction.
• The First Elder asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to bring Danzo's Senju-blooded child to the Senju before sunset, and Hiruzen promised to provide an answer.
• Uka Senju watched Hiruzen and the First Elder exchange false smiles, then accepted pastries from Mito Uzumaki and ate the entire box.
• Shinji Senju ordered a subordinate to prepare Rikima Senju and the others for the next punishment.

Shimura Danzō watched his relatives endure the Senju’s humiliating “Fish Flower” punishment, while Uka Senju vomited at the sight. The Third Elder then presented Danzō with two dishes and ordered him to eat, leaving Danzō confused after he swallowed the first plate.

• The Third Elder showed Danzō his great-uncle, great-aunt, and cousins tied naked to posts under fishing nets, and explained that they would endure the punishment for five years.
• Danzō hid his anger as he watched his relatives suffer, while Uka vomited and Mito Uzumaki helped him recover.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked the First Elder when they would begin, and the First Elder told the Third Elder to bring out his prepared gift.
• The Third Elder had guards place a covered low table in front of Danzō, then ordered him to eat the food his uncle had prepared.
• Danzō ate the entire stir-fried dish with his bloodstained hand and looked up at the Third Elder in confusion.

The Third Elder revealed that the heart-and-lung dishes served to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō had been made from Danzō’s dead younger siblings, provoking Danzō and bringing the Senju clan close to battle. After Danzō swallowed the soup and asked about the remains, the Third Elder attacked him by plunging a hand into his right eye.

• The Third Elder explained that the dishes contained the hearts and lungs of Danzō’s younger siblings, while Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his anger at the threat of war.
• Shimura Danzō dry-heaved, but Hiruzen helped him up and urged him to finish the meal rather than waste the Senju’s offering.
• Shimura Danzō drank the remaining soup and asked the Third Elder whether any other parts of the siblings remained.
• The Third Elder mocked Danzō by telling him where he had scattered the ashes, and then plunged his right hand into Danzō’s right eye.

The Senju elders forced Hiruzen to accept a scroll of demands after the Third Elder tore out one of Danzō’s eyes. Hiruzen stamped the agreement and left the compound with Danzō, whose ordeal changed his demeanor as Hiruzen resolved to plant more spies.

• The Third Elder tore out one of Danzō’s eyes, and Hiruzen restrained Danzō while the First Elder excused the assault and handed Hiruzen a scroll of demands.
• Hiruzen read the scroll’s thirteen clauses, questioned whether he could approve the southern battlefield arrangements, and accepted the Senju elders’ assurance that the other clans had already agreed.
• Hiruzen stamped the scroll and promised to complete the handover within three days.
• The First Elder suggested Danzō take a relative’s eye from a wooden stake, but Danzō refused and left the compound after looking at his tortured relatives.
• Hiruzen followed Danzō into the street, noticed his changed demeanor, and decided to plant more spies.

After the outsiders left, Senju Shinji oversaw the removal of the prisoners and the clan gathered to hear Senju Toka’s new appointments and family policies. The unmarried young men left grumbling about the rules, while Senju Kenchū revealed he expected to marry soon and Senju Mizuki resolved to ask him for help.

• Senju Shinji ordered his subordinates to carry the prisoners away and clear the square after the gate closed.
• The First Elder announced new clan appointments, with Soratate Branch members filling key positions, followed by new policies on childbirth, marriage, and other matters.
• Senju Uka blamed Senju Toka for putting him in a difficult position, then accepted Mito Uzumaki’s invitation to study Senju Hashirama’s Wood Release notes the next morning.
• After Senju Shinji adjourned the meeting, unmarried young men complained about the penalties for remaining single, and Senju Kenchū warned them that their missions and allowances could be affected.
• Senju Kenchū said he expected to settle his marriage soon, and Senju Mizuki decided to visit him and ask for help finding a match.

After the Clan Meeting, Senju Uka met Senju Maki and invited her and Senju Chiharu to lunch. As they headed to Senju Toka’s residence, he considered his training and energy-gathering plans before the three settled on noodles.

• Senju Uka greeted Senju Maki, and he invited her and Senju Chiharu to eat together.
• Senju Uka reflected on the Senju Clan’s break with the village, its choice of the southern front, and his plans to train and gather energy.
• Senju Uka checked his skills panel and decided to work on Ninjutsu and build resistance to Genjutsu with help from his aunt and Chiharu.
• Senju Maki noticed Uka looking at the women ahead of him and wondered whether the earlier misunderstanding had been made up.
• Senju Chiharu welcomed Senju Maki and Senju Uka into Senju Toka’s residence, and they chose noodles for lunch.

Uka Senju struggled to make conversation with his fiancée, Senju Maki, and accidentally comforted her with an embrace after she recalled the Senju relatives lost during the war. Chiharu interrupted them for dinner, leaving Uka embarrassed and unsure how to face what he had done.

• Uka Senju brought Senju Maki orange juice and awkwardly asked whether she worked or trained as a ninja.
• Maki explained that she had recently resumed ninja training after her grandfather ordered the Senju to prepare for their futures.
• Maki recalled the relatives she had lost over the years and began to cry, so Uka offered her tissues.
• Uka instinctively pulled Maki into an embrace, and she relaxed against his chest.
• Chiharu called them to dinner, and Maki went to join her while Uka remained behind, flustered by his actions.

After Danzo lost an eye during the confrontation with Kaito Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his allies discussed the Senju’s finances and planned their response. They assigned Koharu to manage village placements and funds, Homura to oversee hidden bases and training, and Danzo to move Root toward the Grass Ninja.

• Utatane Koharu angrily questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi about agreeing to the Senju’s demands and Danzo’s lost eye, and Hiruzen said signing had been necessary to escape alive.
• Hiruzen told Koharu to accelerate medical-nin training and arrange a replacement eye for Danzo.
• Mitokado Homura warned that the Senju school, southern region, and two billion ryo could become problems, but Hiruzen argued the Senju would eventually run out of money.
• Hiruzen assigned Koharu to manage village troop placements, future school graduates, and funds.
• Hiruzen put Homura in charge of the four clans’ funds, hidden bases, and personnel training, with Root and the Anbu serving as cover.
• Hiruzen told Danzo to keep commanding and training Root without his one-in-ten method, then move Root toward the Grass Ninja with a squadron from each of the three clans.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his allies agreed to avoid acting against the Senju directly for now, build their strength, and recruit the Uchiha. Senju Toka divided the clan’s urgent responsibilities among its leaders, including control of the southern battlefield and its ports.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura not to target Wood Release or the Senju yet, and Shimura Danzō agreed to keep watching him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to visit the Uchiha and consider taking another disciple, while ordering that actions against them in the village stop for now.
• Senju Toka told the clan leaders that Rikima’s betrayal required them to change security information and reorganize the clan’s operations.
• Senju Toka assigned Mito Uzumaki responsibility for barriers, southern battlefield preparation points, and daimyō intelligence, and Mito named people to assist her.
• Senju Toka put Sawagen Senju in charge of the southern battlefield and port operations, and he reluctantly agreed to take the fifth elder rather than Moshige.

Senju Toka assigned clan members to manage bases and other duties, then punished the Third Elder and Fifth Elder for fighting in the council hall. She began appointing leaders for the school and mission center, leaving the Sealing Squad without an assignment.

• Senju Toka put the Third Elder in charge of the clan's bases and tasked the Second Elder with overseeing the younger members, clan affairs, and allied clans.
• The Fifth Elder mocked the Third Elder, who threw an eyeball into his mouth, and the two prepared to fight.
• Senju Toka stopped the fight, docked both elders' allowances, and ordered them to clean the floor.
• Senju Toka told the Sixth Elder to invite allied clan patriarchs to a meeting that afternoon.
• Senju Raizan volunteered to lead the school, and Senju Toka approved his appointment and Hatsuhana's role at the Relief Hall.
• Senju Yusuke volunteered for the mission center, and Senju Toka ordered him to handle only the Senju's work and carefully check mission intelligence.

Senju Toka assigned clan members new duties and ordered Senju Yoshika and Senju Fukei to improve security and intelligence. After training with Senju Chiharu, Uka Senju began practicing Subterranean Voyage and managed to emerge from the ground before exhausting his Chakra.

• Senju Toka appointed Sekisei Senju to lead the Sealing Squad and assigned other Senju clan members to battlefield, merchant, security, and intelligence duties.
• Senju Maki left Senju Chiharu's home after lunch, and Chiharu invited Uka Senju to train with her.
• Senju Chiharu defeated Uka in a wooden-sword spar and advised him to focus on building his strength.
• Uka studied a Ninjutsu scroll, chose the C-rank Subterranean Voyage technique, and asked Chiharu to watch him practice.
• Uka struggled to move underground, injured his leg, then practiced lifting his feet until he could burst safely back above the ground.

Senju Uka continued practicing underground movement while Senju Chiharu advised him on Chakra sensing. Senju Toka then met with four allied clan heads to plan the Senju’s withdrawal from most fronts and village departments, ending with the Aburame offering personnel and cash.

• Senju Uka said he could jog underground but struggled to sense his surroundings, and Senju Chiharu advised him to practice Tobirama’s Chakra Sensing Technique.
• Senju Chiharu suggested Uka follow her footsteps underground, but he sat down to refine Chakra instead after suspecting she meant to step on his head.
• Senju Toka met with the Inuzuka, Kurama, Hatake, and Aburame clan heads, who pledged support against the Sarutobi group of four.
• Senju Toka said the Senju would withdraw from the eastern, western, and northern battlefronts within a month and from most village departments within a week.
• Senju Toka told the allied clans to move south and take positions in departments including the medical unit, school, mission center, and Sealing Squad.
• After the Inuzuka clan head warned that the school could weaken their advantage over time, the Aburame clan head offered five hundred people a year and 1.5 billion in cash.

Senju Toka secured manpower commitments from the Aburame, Inuzuka, Kurama, and Hatake clans while limiting their financial contributions. After discussing their plans, she returned home to Uka Senju and shared dinner with him and Chiharu.

• The Inuzuka, Kurama, Hatake, and Aburame leaders offered money and personnel to support the Senju.
• Senju Toka accepted the proposed manpower but reduced the clans' financial contributions and urged them to invest in training.
• The Aburame Clan leader suggested that the Senju could fund themselves by targeting southern countries, and the Inuzuka Clan leader committed seven hundred people under Inuzuka Kawa.
• Senju Toka and the four clan leaders discussed their joint arrangements and other internal and external matters.
• Senju Toka returned home, where Uka Senju and Chiharu served her dinner.

Uka Senju learned that Senju Tsukika would replace Chiharu as his bodyguard and instructor, then visited Mito to begin learning about Wood Release. He arrived at Mito’s residence and sat down with her, ready to start.

• Senju Toka arranged for Chiharu to return to clan duties and told Uka that Senju Tsukika would protect him instead.
• Uka trained in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and jutsu before breakfasting with Senju Toka and Chiharu.
• Uka went to Mito’s residence with Senju Tsukika, who had been assigned to protect and instruct him.
• Uka greeted Mito, sat with her at the tea table, and noticed the contrast between the estate’s grand exterior and its plain interior.

Mito Uzumaki told Uka Senju why Hashirama Senju had given the Senju family's wealth to an orphanage, then showed him Hashirama's Wood Release techniques. Uka left with scrolls of techniques suited to his current abilities and guidance on adapting them.

• Mito Uzumaki explained that Hashirama Senju regretted letting the Senju clan down and donated the family's possessions after the Valley of the End.
• Uka Senju's desire to gain power intensified as he considered Hashirama's fate and drank tea with Mito Uzumaki.
• Mito Uzumaki gave Uka Senju a scroll of Hashirama's Wood Release techniques, and he found many lower-ranked techniques he could use or modify.
• Mito Uzumaki advised Uka Senju to change techniques focused on restraint and contact into ones focused on strangling and piercing.
• Mito Uzumaki gave Uka Senju scrolls containing C- and B-rank techniques and Hashirama's insights, telling him to practice before learning A-rank techniques.

Mito Uzumaki gave Uka Senju Katsuyu Sage’s summoning contract as protection, and Uka successfully summoned Katsuyu in the courtyard. After demonstrating her corrosive attack, Katsuyu prepared to show him her defensive ability.

• Mito Uzumaki explained that Katsuyu Sage could protect Uka by using Reverse Summoning to take him to Shikkotsu Forest, then let him sign her Summoning Scroll.
• Uka Senju memorized the five seals, practiced them, and summoned a 1.5-meter-tall Katsuyu.
• Katsuyu invited Uka to visit Shikkotsu Forest and demonstrated Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid by corroding an iron training dummy and the ground beneath it.
• Katsuyu told Uka that her attack’s amount and frequency increased with her size, then asked him to punch her so she could demonstrate her defense.