Arc 9The Fox and the Fronts

Uchiha Takashi’s forces crushed the Sarutobi threat and began a campaign against corrupt local powers while he fought the Senju and encountered Kurama. The arc left Kurama welcomed as the Land of Light’s divine beast as Uchiha Takashi considered the risks of Izanagi and planned to shape public belief.

  • Yukimichi Uchiha used the county magistrate to lure the Sarutobi force into the city, where Uchiha forces destroyed it and eliminated the Shimura remnants.
  • Uchiha Takashi exposed cheating and a suspected exam fraud, then sent Fū Uchiha to lead a campaign against criminal forces and corrupt officials across the Land of Light.
  • Uchiha Takashi repelled Shura Senju’s larger force after a clash between their giant forms, while Yukimichi Uchiha reported his victory on the southwestern border.
  • Uchiha Takashi discovered that Uchiha Shin and Homura Uchiha had come to the front, and he allowed them to stay under restrictions.
  • Uchiha Shin captured Kurama and brought him to Uchiha Takashi, who invited him to live freely in the Land of Light as its guardian divine beast.
  • The Senju Clan withdrew behind a pass, while Tatsu Uchiha learned of Izanagi and kept the technique secret from most of the clan.
  • Kurama reached the capital, where the Uchiha presented him as a divine beast, and Tatsu Uchiha gathered the clan to discuss promoting his worship and a mythology about Indra.
Chapters 202–227 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 202Something's not right!

Uchiha Takashi misunderstood Fū Uchiha’s hint and thought the elders had discovered a private request he had made, but they had actually come to pressure him into marriage. He refused to marry before he was ready, and after Uchiha Hikari arrived, the elders heard something that changed their attitude and left him confused.

  • Uchiha Takashi welcomed Fū Uchiha, Tatsu Uchiha, Kyō Uchiha, and Tsukina Fujiwara inside, then misread Fū Uchiha’s hint about his request to his assistant.
  • Tatsu Uchiha and Kyō Uchiha urged Uchiha Takashi to marry for the sake of the nation and its succession, while citing Fū Uchiha as an example.
  • Uchiha Takashi refused to marry before he was ready and insisted that he would not accept a forced match.
  • Uchiha Hikari arrived after a scroll fell, and Uchiha Takashi named her as a possible successor to end the pressure.
  • Tsukina Fujiwara whispered to Fū Uchiha, who relayed something to Tatsu Uchiha and Kyō Uchiha; they left with newfound understanding, and Fū Uchiha praised Uchiha Takashi, leaving him puzzled.

Ch. 203Shimura Remnants

Yukimichi Uchiha took command of the southwestern border and exposed the local magistrate’s embezzlement. After using genjutsu to interrogate him, Yukimichi learned the magistrate had information about the Shimura remnants.

  • Uchiha Hikari left without eating after Uchiha Takashi asked what was wrong, and Hyuga Yō also withdrew when he brought up Hikari at dinner.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha reached the southwestern border and took command of the town’s garrison, bringing its forces to six hundred against the Sarutobi Clan’s eight hundred.
  • The county magistrate offered Yukimichi a welcoming banquet, but Yukimichi demanded defense maps and enemy intelligence and threatened to punish corruption.
  • The magistrate confessed to embezzling several hundred thousand ryō and pleaded for his life.
  • Yukimichi used genjutsu to interrogate the magistrate, who revealed intelligence about the Shimura remnants.

Ch. 204Traps within traps

Yukimichi Uchiha used genjutsu to manipulate a Sarutobi scout into revealing the clan’s camp while making the Sarutobi and Shimura remnants believe the city was undefended. The Shimura leader planned to test the county magistrate’s offer to surrender, unaware that Yukimichi had set a trap.

  • Yukimichi Uchiha threatened the county magistrate, then placed him under genjutsu to use him against the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha secretly followed a genjutsu-controlled Sarutobi clansman to scout the Sarutobi camp.
  • Uchiha patrols let the Sarutobi clansman see an apparently empty city, and he returned to camp believing it could be seized.
  • Shimura remnants discussed reports that the Uchiha had withdrawn and questioned whether the county magistrate’s promised surrender was genuine.
  • The former third elder ordered a meeting with the magistrate at a nearby restaurant so he could test the man’s sincerity.

Ch. 205Lure Them into the City and Kill Them

Yukimichi Uchiha tricked the Shimura remnants and Sarutobi Clan into believing the city was nearly undefended, then prepared an ambush to destroy the Sarutobi force. The Sarutobi’s eight hundred men entered the city and were trapped under a barrage of explosives and Ninjutsu.

  • Yukimichi Uchiha used Genjutsu to make the magistrate convince Shimura Clan operatives that the city had few defenders.
  • The Shimura remnants contacted the Sarutobi Clan and helped arrange an attack, unaware that the Uchiha were monitoring them.
  • Yukimichi ordered five hundred men to hide in tunnels inside the city walls and waited for the Sarutobi force to enter.
  • The Sarutobi commander led all eight hundred men through the open gates, which slammed shut after the last man entered.
  • Uchiha forces ambushed the Sarutobi troops with explosions and Ninjutsu as Yukimichi hurled Canned Kunai from the wall.

Ch. 206The Unlucky Sarutobi

Yukimichi Uchiha devastated the Sarutobi Clan’s forces with a powerful Fire Style technique and eliminated the threat at the southwestern border. He then prepared to return, having far exceeded his assignment with minimal casualties.

  • The Sarutobi Clan endured a bombardment of explosives and ninjutsu that reduced its eight hundred fighters to just over five hundred.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha unleashed Fire Style: Ashen Earth Returns to the Abyss, which absorbed chakra and exploded with enough force to wipe out the remaining Sarutobi fighters.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha sent men to capture and dispose of the Shimura Clan remnants and undercover agents in the city.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha’s army finished eliminating the southwestern border threat in less than a day, suffering fewer than fifty casualties.
  • Yukimichi Uchiha considered reporting the technique’s power and prepared to return after destroying the Sarutobi Clan’s main force.

Ch. 207Blundering into the Sovereign's Domain

Uchiha Takashi escaped his paperwork to visit a college entrance exam site, where his status as the nation's sovereign let him pass the guards. A protester learned who he was and dropped dead from shock.

  • Uchiha Takashi abandoned his documents and climbed out of his office window to visit an exam site.
  • The Konoha Military Police Force stopped parents and relatives from entering the site but let Uchiha Takashi pass.
  • A man accused the guards of applying a double standard when Uchiha Takashi entered.
  • A Nara clansman told the man that Uchiha Takashi was the nation's sovereign and creator of the exams.
  • The man dropped dead after learning Uchiha Takashi's identity.

Ch. 208Cheating on the College Entrance Exam?

Uchiha Takashi inspected the college entrance exam and caught an examinee cheating with writing on his palm. He spared the frightened student from being killed on the spot, but canceled his results and ordered stricter patrols.

  • Uchiha Takashi toured the exam rooms while Uchiha clansmen assured him that the venue was secure.
  • Uchiha Takashi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to spot an examinee glancing at writing on his palm, then exposed the cheat sheet.
  • Uchiha Takashi canceled the examinee’s results and ordered a joint hearing, stopping an Uchiha clansman from killing him.
  • The Hyuga clansman dragged the examinee away and warned him that another official might have killed him under the crackdown rules.
  • Uchiha Takashi reprimanded the Uchiha patrolmen for missing the cheating and ordered them to be more careful.

Ch. 209What do you mean, someone illiterate passed the college entrance exam?

After the college entrance exams, Uchiha Takashi received the top fifty examinees and uncovered a fraud when one man admitted he had taken a successful candidate’s notice. The supposed original owner was an illiterate woman, and Uchiha Takashi realized the exam results pointed to a deeper problem.

  • The Uchiha Clan intensified surveillance during the final exam sessions, and the Nara Clan helped grade the papers.
  • Uchiha Takashi ordered the top fifty examinees to be notified within a week and prepared to meet them in the capital.
  • Uchiha Takashi welcomed the examinees and invited them to demonstrate their literary talents.
  • Uchiha Takashi suspected one man was an impostor and used the Body Flicker Technique and Mangekyō Sharingan Genjutsu to question him.
  • The man confessed that he had taken an illiterate woman’s certificate and told her she had failed because she was a woman.
  • Uchiha Takashi realized that the woman’s top-fifty result was impossible if she was illiterate and suspected a larger scandal.

Ch. 210A nationwide crackdown!

After a cheating scandal at the college entrance exam led Uchiha Takashi to suspect criminal forces were involved, he ordered Fū Uchiha to plan a nationwide crackdown. Fū agreed the task was possible with a ninja army, but questioned how they could spare troops while the Senju, Sarutobi, and Uzumaki clans attacked their borders.

  • Uchiha Takashi ended the literary gathering and returned to his office after discovering a suspicious exam certificate.
  • Uchiha Takashi concluded that criminal forces had likely arranged for someone to impersonate an examinee.
  • Uchiha Takashi ordered Fū Uchiha to investigate and eliminate entrenched criminal forces and local tyrants across the Land of Light.
  • Fū Uchiha explained that the crackdown would require outside manpower because local police forces were compromised and the criminals had ninja allies.
  • Uchiha Takashi offered Fū a ninja army and six months to complete the crackdown, and Fū said he could finish in three months.
  • Fū Uchiha questioned where the troops would come from while the Senju, Sarutobi, and Uzumaki clans attacked on three fronts.

Ch. 211Personally leading the campaign

Uchiha Takashi decided to personally lead a campaign against criminal forces within the country, taking 500 ninja from the Senju Clan front while promising to hold the border. After he left, Tatsu Uchiha and the Nara Clan leader argued over the campaign as Tatsu inherited Takashi’s paperwork.

  • The Nara Clan assistant warned that fighting entrenched criminal forces would destabilize the country and divert attention from the Land of Fire.
  • An Uchiha assistant volunteered to attack the criminal forces, while Fū Uchiha cautioned that the campaign needed 500 ninja and 2,000 samurai.
  • Uchiha Takashi ordered 500 ninja transferred from the Senju Clan front, assigned 3,000 samurai to the campaign, and went to the front himself to oversee it.
  • Fū Uchiha accepted Takashi’s plan and promised to handle the campaign within a little over two months.
  • Tatsu Uchiha learned that Takashi had left without consulting him and was assigned to review the documents with the Inner Council.
  • The Nara Clan leader criticized Takashi’s decision, but Tatsu Uchiha defended the campaign and called for the criminal forces to be wiped out.

Ch. 212Fighting the landlords

Fū Uchiha organized 500 ninja and 3,000 samurai into teams to crack down on criminal forces and local tyrants across the country. Team One arrived in its assigned town and immediately confronted a man who demanded money after claiming the town was his turf.

  • Fū Uchiha split his 500 ninja into 20 teams, assigned samurai to support them, and sent his plan to Uchiha Takashi for approval.
  • Uchiha Takashi approved the operation and named it “Fighting the landlords.”
  • Team One entered its assigned town, where its Uchiha leader noticed a noodle-eating man watching them suspiciously.
  • The man insulted the Uchiha and samurai, claimed the town was his turf, and demanded 10,000 ryo for emotional distress.
  • A Nara clansman challenged the man's claim and argued that he would be at fault if they took the dispute to the Guard Force.

Ch. 213Enemy-certified: the Uchiha had no brains

An Uchiha Clan member and Nara Clan members uncovered a citywide conspiracy to deceive the Uchiha stationed there. The enraged Uchiha headed to the Guard Force headquarters to root out the conspirators and confronted the local Uchiha in charge.

  • A corrupt local official claimed the city’s Guard Force and officials were all under his control, and the Uchiha Clan member knocked him down for insulting the Uchiha’s intelligence.
  • The Uchiha Clan member used genjutsu to make the official reveal that the city’s mayor, clerks, and other officials had conspired to deceive him for over a year.
  • Humiliated and furious, the Uchiha Clan member stormed toward the Guard Force headquarters and threatened a guard who tried to stop him.
  • The frightened guard named everyone involved, and the Uchiha Clan member declared that the local powers should be killed rather than accommodated.
  • The Uchiha Clan member kicked through the captain’s office door, startling the Uchiha in charge inside.

Ch. 214Shut the doors, leave no one alive!

An Uchiha clansman and a Nara clansman exposed how the Uchiha officer’s subordinates had deceived him for over a year and led him to the officials and gangsters behind the corruption. The Guard Force slaughtered the conspirators at a banquet, leaving the officer to dread being mocked by his clan.

  • The Uchiha clansman berated the Uchiha officer for being fooled by his subordinates, and the Nara clansman explained their deception.
  • The Uchiha officer drew his blade and vowed to kill the subordinates who had deceived him.
  • The Guard Force stormed the banquet where the mayor, gang boss, and their allies had gathered, and the gang boss failed to escape through a window.
  • The Uchiha clansman accused the mayor and guests of corruption and ordered the Guard Force to shut the doors and leave no one alive.
  • The Guard Force emerged from the blood-soaked restaurant as bystanders watched, while the Uchiha officer worried that his clan would ridicule him.

Ch. 215This Wood Release was way too dirty

Uchiha Takashi defended the front against a much larger Senju force with chakra-saving explosives, but Shura Senju countered with powerful Wood Release techniques. Takashi’s Susanoo stopped the Wood Dragon, and he discovered that Shura’s Asura and Six Paths chakra made him immune to Takashi’s crowd-control ability.

  • Uchiha Takashi learned that more than 800 Senju troops had attacked and went to meet them, only to fall into a hole dug by an Uchiha clansman.
  • Uchiha Takashi’s forces used explosives to make the Senju spend chakra while the Uchiha conserved theirs.
  • Shura Senju unleashed a Wood Dragon, but Uchiha Takashi’s Susanoo emerged from the smoke and blocked it.
  • Shura Senju summoned a Wood Golem, rallying the Senju troops as both armies cheered on their leaders.
  • Uchiha Takashi tried to erase the Wood Golem with Amenominaka, but Shura Senju’s immense Asura chakra and trace of Six Paths chakra nullified the ability.

Ch. 217Good news from the southwest

Uchiha Takashi and Shura Senju fought an exhausting battle between their giant forms until both were forced to retreat. The Uchiha celebrated their victory, and Takashi went to sleep after reading Yukimichi Uchiha’s report of a plan to trap the enemy in the city.

  • Uchiha Takashi and Shura Senju exchanged blows in their giant forms, while their battle halted the fighting around them.
  • After a prolonged struggle, both fighters neared their limits and dispelled their giants to return to their defensive lines.
  • Uchiha Takashi taunted the Senju, while Shura Senju collapsed from exhaustion and the Senju deputy commander ordered a retreat.
  • The Uchiha celebrated repelling the larger force, and Takashi led them in a cheer for the clan.
  • Takashi read Yukimichi Uchiha’s letter describing a plan to trap the enemies inside and outside the city, then fell asleep from exhaustion.

Ch. 218Uchiha Shin sneaked over

Uchiha Takashi saw Uchiha Shin sneaking into the northwestern frontier camp and questioned why the ten-year-old had left the military academy. Uchiha Shin admitted he had run away without his brother's knowledge and revealed he had traveled with Brother Homura Uchiha.

  • Uchiha Takashi woke to a crowd gathering for letters brought from the capital and decided to establish a postal service after returning home.
  • Uchiha Takashi spotted Uchiha Shin trying to slip into camp and caught him by the collar.
  • Uchiha Shin argued that his strength made him fit for the battlefield, but Uchiha Takashi insisted he was too young and asked whether his brother knew he had come.
  • Uchiha Shin admitted he had sneaked away without telling his brother and said he had come with Brother Homura Uchiha.

Ch. 219That Would Make the Clan Head Useless

Uchiha Takashi allowed Homura Uchiha to remain at the front and let Uchiha Shin stay for two months under strict restrictions. He questioned the reported power of Yukimichi Uchiha’s technique, while the Nine-Tails-Kurama appeared near a village outside the Uchiha capital.

  • Homura Uchiha told Uchiha Takashi that he wanted to fight on the front lines rather than serve in the Guard Force, and Takashi agreed not to send him back.
  • Uchiha Takashi told Uchiha Shin he could stay at the front for two months but could not enter battle or use his Mangekyō Sharingan without permission.
  • Uchiha Takashi reread Yukimichi Uchiha’s letter and doubted that Fire Style: Ashen Earth Returns to the Abyss was as powerful as described.
  • The Nine-Tails-Kurama appeared in the mountains near a village and wondered whether war had reached the area and whether the peace sought by the Old Sage of Six Paths existed.

Ch. 220Traces of the Nine-Tails

The Nine-Tails, disturbed by the scent of blood near his secluded home, assumed war had reached the area and decided to move deeper into the Land of Fire. A village hunting party found his enormous footprints, and the local Uchiha struggled to understand what beast could have made them.

  • The Nine-Tails smelled blood near a village and decided to leave for a quieter part of the Land of Fire.
  • A village hunting party arrived outside the village and discovered an enormous footprint left by the Nine-Tails.
  • The frightened hunting captain raced back to the village and told the local Uchiha about the footprint.
  • The rest of the hunting party repeated the captain’s report, and the Uchiha estimated the beast was around a hundred meters tall.

Ch. 221The Nine-Tails wandered onto the front lines

Kyō Uchiha and Tatsu Uchiha learned that a legendary Nine-Tails Fox had appeared in the Land of Light, prompting Kyō to plan a troop transfer so Uchiha Takashi could investigate. Takashi explained the Tailed Beasts to the capital and rejected the transfer, while Kurama wandered lost near the northwestern encampment.

  • Kyō Uchiha laughed at a report of giant footprints, but Tatsu Uchiha recognized the description from ancestral records of a huge, nine-tailed fox.
  • Kyō Uchiha and Tatsu Uchiha decided to recall Yukimichi Uchiha and his five hundred troops from the Sarutobi front and send them to the Senju front so Uchiha Takashi could search for the fox.
  • Uchiha Takashi identified the creature as Kurama and wrote to the capital, explaining that Tailed Beasts were not heavenly omens and opposing the proposed troop transfer.
  • Kurama wandered lost near the army encampment on the northwestern front.

Ch. 222Uchiha Shin's Chance Encounter with the Nine-Tails

Uchiha Shin found the Nine-Tails in the woods and brought him back to the Uchiha encampment, believing he had discovered a divine beast. Uchiha Takashi recognized him as Kurama and took him into his tent, where he revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and confronted him.

  • The Nine-Tails wandered onto a battlefield and encountered Uchiha Shin in the woods.
  • Uchiha Shin picked up the Nine-Tails, then used his Mangekyō Sharingan to stop him struggling.
  • Uchiha Shin carried the Nine-Tails to the encampment and presented him to Uchiha Takashi.
  • Uchiha Takashi called the fox Kurama and took him into his tent, leaving Uchiha Shin to go play.
  • Uchiha Takashi revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and told Kurama that pretending would not fool him.

Ch. 223Negotiations: Nine-Tails the Mascot

Uchiha Takashi tried to persuade Nine-Tails to live in the Land of Light’s capital as its guardian divine beast, promising him safety, offerings, and freedom to travel. Nine-Tails was tempted but questioned why he should accept, and Takashi clarified that the Uchiha had founded an independent nation.

  • Nine-Tails challenged Uchiha Takashi’s claims, and Takashi subdued him with his Mangekyō Sharingan before boasting of his knowledge.
  • Takashi guessed that Nine-Tails had been driven from his former home and had gotten lost while seeking somewhere quiet to live.
  • Takashi invited Nine-Tails to become the Land of Light’s guardian divine beast and promised not to use or control his power.
  • Nine-Tails admitted the prospect of a comfortable life appealed to him but objected that living freely in the wild was preferable.
  • Nine-Tails realized the Uchiha had founded an independent nation, and Takashi explained that he could leave the capital whenever he wished.

Ch. 224The Nine-Tails Ate the Title

Uchiha Takashi persuaded Kurama to accept an invitation to live in the Land of Light’s capital, then learned that the Senju Clan had suddenly withdrawn. He ordered the front line secured and sent Kurama toward the capital with a transport convoy.

  • Uchiha Takashi offered Kurama food, lodging, and freedom in the Land of Light’s capital, and Kurama accepted while insisting he was moved by the Uchiha Clan’s sincerity.
  • Uchiha Takashi explained that the Uchiha could use Kurama as a symbol to sway public sentiment in the Land of Fire, and Kurama mocked the clan’s intelligence and reputation.
  • An Uchiha messenger reported that the Senju Clan had abandoned its frontline positions and retreated behind the pass.
  • Uchiha Takashi suspected the Senju withdrawal was a trick and ordered tighter security and five additional night patrol squads.
  • Kurama complained about the war’s negative emotions, so Uchiha Takashi assigned an Uchiha to take him safely to the capital.

Ch. 225You said you created what?

An Uchiha researcher developed Izanagi, a technique that consumed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan to revive someone who had died within the past minute. Tatsu Uchiha ordered the secret kept from everyone, then worried about the danger it could pose to the clan as he considered whether to inform the Clan Head.

  • An Uchiha researcher used a Three-Tomoe Sharingan to revive a mouse, turning the eye deathly white in the process.
  • The researcher explained that his technique, Izanagi, could reverse illusion and reality for someone who had died within the last minute, at the cost of one Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
  • Tatsu Uchiha questioned the researcher and learned that no one else knew about the technique.
  • Tatsu Uchiha ordered everyone present to keep Izanagi secret, fearing clansmen might attack one another to collect Sharingan.
  • Tatsu Uchiha looked toward the front lines and wondered whether telling the Clan Head would be good or bad news.

Ch. 226The majestic Kurama

Uchiha Takashi learned that the Uchiha had developed Izanagi and decided to keep the technique secret to prevent clan infighting, while considering how to combine it with his time-reversal ability. Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails arrived at the capital with an Uchiha convoy and drew astonished attention from nearby merchants.

  • Uchiha Takashi read that the clan had developed Izanagi and worried that it could provoke the kind of internal strife seen in the original story.
  • Uchiha Takashi noted that Tatsu Uchiha had restricted knowledge of Izanagi and decided the technique should remain secret from most of the clan.
  • Uchiha Takashi realized he might be able to restore an eye after using Izanagi by reversing time, potentially allowing repeated revivals.
  • The Nine-Tails arrived at the capital with the Uchiha transport convoy and admired the city's prosperous appearance.
  • Nearby merchants yielded the road to the Uchiha convoy and praised the clansmen as the Uchiha marched proudly through the crowd.
  • A merchant spotted the Nine-Tails, and the surrounding caravans erupted in surprise and speculation about the nine-tailed fox.

Ch. 227The Divine Beast Nine-Tails

Nine-Tails arrived in the capital and was treated as the divine beast made famous by popular novels. Tatsu Uchiha began planning to use novels to establish a mythology around Indra, while Nine-Tails was taken to Naka Shrine for his new quarters.

  • Uchiha clansmen escorted Nine-Tails into the city as merchants and onlookers revered him as the divine beast Nine-Tails Fox.
  • Tatsu Uchiha read Uchiha Takashi's letter, which instructed the clan to house Nine-Tails and promote his worship across the Shinobi World.
  • Tatsu Uchiha realized the novels that popularized Nine-Tails could also spread a mythology about Indra, and he called the clansmen together to discuss the plan.
  • Nine-Tails was allowed to roam the streets, where he enjoyed the goodwill and admiration he sensed from the people.
  • Nine-Tails reached Naka Shrine, his assigned residence, and was puzzled by how much the renovated shrine differed from his memories.
Arc 9 of 11
Arc 9 of 11