Recaps

Dōmeki reunited with Temari in Konoha, but the meeting ended when tensions flared between their companions and Team 7. As Temari left, Gaara revealed his dislike of Dōmeki.

• Dōmeki greeted Temari as an old friend and declined her invitation to drink, privately thinking it was awkward because he had just beaten up her father.
• Kakashi told Team 7 that Dōmeki, Haku, and Kimimaro were Otogakure ninja and explained Dōmeki's connection to Zabuza.
• Naruto charged at Dōmeki, but Haku froze his feet; after Naruto learned Haku was a man, Sasuke attacked Haku and received a cut from Kimimaro.
• Kakashi intervened to separate Sasuke from Haku and Kimimaro, and Dōmeki apologized to Temari before ending their conversation.
• Temari recalled first meeting Dōmeki at her mother's grave and left with Gaara and Kankuro; Gaara said he disliked Dōmeki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Kakashi about Dōmeki’s strength and loyalties as the Chunin Ninja Exams approached. At the exam venue, Dōmeki reunited with his teammates and confronted Kabuto Yakushi, who described him as powerful enough to kill everyone there.

• Kakashi told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Dōmeki had killed a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and could defeat Konoha’s young genin, though he could not judge Dōmeki’s loyalties.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided that the young generation needed to experience the cruelty of the Shinobi World, while Dōmeki told Kimimaro that a chance to treat his bloodline disease was coming soon.
• Dōmeki arrived at the Chunin Ninja Exams with Kimimaro and Haku, then reunited with Karin, Suigetsu, and Jūgo and promised Suigetsu a present if he performed well.
• Kabuto Yakushi told Sasuke and the other rookies that Dōmeki Shun, nicknamed 'Akainu,' was strong enough to kill everyone at the exam.
• Dōmeki came up behind Kabuto and asked whether he was the Akainu Kabuto had described, joking that he sounded vicious.

Dōmeki provoked the Konoha rookies before Ibiki Morino began the Chunin Ninja Exams’ written test, where he openly refused to study or answer questions. Naruto passed Ibiki’s final challenge with a declaration that he would never give up, and Dōmeki warned him that his words meant he would remain a Genin forever.

• Dōmeki confronted Kabuto over his Ninja Info Card, while Karin seized Naruto and Suigetsu blocked Sasuke from intervening.
• Dōmeki stopped his companions from escalating the dispute and warned Sasuke that he would be watching him.
• Ibiki Morino introduced the written test, which assessed candidates’ ability to gather intelligence, as most of the room began cheating.
• Naruto saw that Dōmeki’s paper was blank, and Dōmeki loudly declared that studying was pointless.
• Ibiki Morino tried to fail Dōmeki and Naruto for cheating, but Dōmeki argued that blank papers could not count as cheating.
• Naruto declared that he would not give up on the exam, and Dōmeki warned that he had doomed himself to be a Genin forever.

Mitarashi Anko arrived to announce the second Chunin Exam, while Dōmeki tricked Naruto Uzumaki into taking the blame for his loud declaration about huge breasts. At the Forest of Death, Dōmeki and Kabuto Yakushi discussed Orochimaru’s plans before Anko confronted them.

• Mitarashi Anko burst into the exam room, and Dōmeki loudly declared that men liking huge breasts was nothing to be ashamed of before shifting the blame onto Naruto Uzumaki.
• Mitarashi Anko mistook Naruto for the speaker and beat him, while Hinata offered him a handkerchief and Ino and Sakura pulled her away from him.
• Mitarashi Anko explained that the second exam required teams to battle for Heaven and Earth Scrolls in the Forest of Death, regardless of the danger.
• Kabuto Yakushi offered Dōmeki a Heaven Scroll and asked him to go easy on Orochimaru’s chosen vessel, but Dōmeki said he wanted to enjoy himself and help fulfill the Third Hokage’s wish.
• Mitarashi Anko interrupted Dōmeki and Kabuto Yakushi, threatened them for ignoring her, and then praised them as well-behaved, handsome boys.

Dōmeki entered the Forest of Death, challenged Sasuke to earn information about Itachi, and sent his allies to hunt for scrolls while he began tracking the other teams. Team 7 sought Dōmeki, but Orochimaru appeared and overwhelmed them with his killing intent.

• Dōmeki met Team 7 at the forest entrance, taunted Sasuke, and offered to provide information about Itachi if Sasuke could satisfy him.
• Dōmeki ordered Haku and Kimimaro to guard the central tower and sent Karin and the others to hunt for heaven and earth scrolls.
• Team 7 defeated an enemy team and obtained the scroll they needed, but Sasuke refused Sakura’s suggestion to go straight to the tower because he wanted to find Dōmeki.
• Naruto promised to help Sasuke, and a disguised Orochimaru emerged from the ground and approached Team 7.
• Naruto insulted Orochimaru’s appearance, and Orochimaru’s killing intent caused all three members of Team 7 to collapse.

Team 8 encountered the battered Ino-Shika-Cho trio as they fled from Gaara, whose overwhelming strength forced the Konoha teams to unite. Gaara stopped his attack at Temari’s plea, then announced he would not hold back against the man who annoyed him, only for Dōmeki to appear nearby and identify himself as that man.

• Kiba, Hinata, and Shino found the fleeing Ino-Shika-Cho trio after Shino sensed a powerful presence approaching.
• Kiba charged at Gaara but was swept away by a gust of wind, and Shino and Hinata warned the others that Gaara possessed an enormous amount of Chakra.
• Gaara attacked the gathered Konoha genin with sand, and Choji’s Human Bullet Tank shattered the giant sand hand before Shikamaru caught him.
• Temari pleaded with Gaara to stop, and Gaara sealed his sand back into the gourd while warning that he would not hold back when he met the man who annoyed him.
• Dōmeki appeared in a nearby tree and asked Gaara whether he meant him.

Dōmeki attacked Konoha’s rookies and took something from Hinata before Gaara challenged him with sand hands. The chapter ended with Dōmeki mocking Gaara’s claim that he was a monster.

• Dōmeki appeared beside Gaara and stopped him from attacking the rookies, then punched Shikamaru and knocked Choji down with a kick.
• Kiba and Shino attacked Dōmeki, but he spun Kiba into a windstorm that knocked both of them unconscious.
• Dōmeki approached Hinata, said he wanted to borrow something she had, and left her on the ground with her condition unknown.
• Dōmeki grabbed Akamaru and tossed him to Ino, unsettling Kankuro and Temari.
• Gaara summoned enormous sand hands to attack Dōmeki, who answered with a crude taunt about having a monster of his own.

Dōmeki defeated Gaara by breaking through his Absolute Defense and knocking him unconscious. When the One-Tail began to emerge, it recognized Dōmeki and stopped, leaving Gaara bewildered as Dōmeki offered to teach him.

• Gaara crushed Dōmeki beneath giant sand hands, but Dōmeki burst out and mocked him.
• Dōmeki drew Futsunomitama and used Wind Ninja Art-Azure Flood Dragon to destroy Gaara’s sand Shuriken and break through his sand barriers.
• Gaara survived the attack with his Absolute Defense, but Dōmeki shattered the shield with a rapid sword assault and punched him into a tree.
• Temari stood between Gaara and Dōmeki, but Gaara pushed her aside and tried to attack again.
• Dōmeki used Wind Release: Ripple Overdrive to make Gaara collapse, then knocked him unconscious with a knife-hand strike.
• The One-Tail began to emerge from Gaara, recognized Dōmeki, and stopped; Dōmeki offered to teach the confused Gaara.

Team 7 faced Orochimaru, who cursed Sasuke and overwhelmed Naruto before Dōmeki arrived to rescue them. Dōmeki challenged Orochimaru to a fight and faced the summoned Manda.

• Sasuke overcame his fear and attacked Orochimaru, who bit him and gave him the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
• Naruto broke free of his fear and charged Orochimaru with Shadow Clones, but Orochimaru trapped him with pythons while Sakura tended to Sasuke.
• Dōmeki appeared and cut Naruto free, then asked Orochimaru to spare Team 7.
• Orochimaru agreed to spare them if Dōmeki defeated his summon, and summoned Manda.
• Manda recognized Dōmeki and accused Orochimaru of setting him up again.

Dōmeki defeated Orochimaru’s enormous summon, Manda, then explained Orochimaru’s history to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. He healed Sasuke’s injuries and began sealing the Cursed Seal, leaving Sasuke surprised by Dōmeki’s abilities.

• Manda tried to flee when Dōmeki began removing his coat, but Orochimaru’s Summoning Technique kept him there.
• Dōmeki fought Manda, overwhelming him with a kick and a barrage of punches until Manda was sent back to Ryūchi Cave.
• Dōmeki told Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke that Orochimaru was a former Konoha Sannin and a leading candidate for Fourth Hokage who had left the village.
• Sakura asked Dōmeki to help Sasuke, and he healed Sasuke’s injuries with Medical Ninjutsu before placing a seal on the Cursed Seal.

Anko tracked down Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and attacked him, while Dōmeki treated Sasuke and answered his questions about Itachi. Dōmeki intervened when Orochimaru overwhelmed Anko, and she fled with him as Orochimaru watched them go.

• Anko recognized Orochimaru's technique on three corpses, ordered her subordinates to alert the Hokage, and pursued him into the forest.
• Anko found Orochimaru and attacked him, declaring that she would stake her life on destroying her former teacher.
• After treating Sasuke, Dōmeki told him that Itachi had defeated Orochimaru with a single look, prompting Sasuke to ask Dōmeki for a fight.
• Dōmeki left to attend a gathering and watched Orochimaru bind and taunt Anko before throwing a Kunai at him.
• Orochimaru disappeared as a mass of black mud and reappeared at a distance, while Anko grabbed Dōmeki and tried to escape with him.

Dōmeki escaped Orochimaru with Anko, healed her wound, and returned to the Chunin Exams. He confronted Neji’s team and hinted that he had done something to Hinata, leaving Neji furious and alarmed.

• Dōmeki teased Anko as she carried him away from Orochimaru, then jumped down near the edge of the Forest of Death.
• Dōmeki healed Anko’s pierced palm and urged her to get help while he returned to collect the exam scrolls.
• Anko offered to accompany Dōmeki, but he refused and sped back into the forest as she headed toward the Third Hokage.
• Neji Hyuga’s team encountered Suigetsu’s team, and Neji noticed their many scrolls before Dōmeki approached.
• Dōmeki sent Karin’s team to the tower, then told Neji he was interested in Hinata’s Byakugan and asked what Neji thought had happened to her.

Dōmeki defeated Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten in the Forest of Death, then the Genin gathered outside the central tower found Kimimaro and Haku blocking the way. Neji arrived at the tower and saw that Hinata was unharmed, realizing Dōmeki had used her as an excuse to fight him.

• Neji confronted Dōmeki about Hinata’s eyes and attacked him with the Gentle Fist, but Dōmeki overwhelmed him and knocked him down.
• Rock Lee carried Neji away while Tenten attacked Dōmeki with summoned weapons; Dōmeki repelled the weapons and defeated Lee, then let Tenten go.
• At the central tower, the gathered Genin hesitated to approach because Kimimaro and Haku guarded the path.
• Naruto reunited with Shikamaru and the others, while Shikamaru explained that Kimimaro, Haku, and the absent Dōmeki were preventing teams from reaching the tower.
• Team 3 arrived, and Neji saw Hinata among the girls, unharmed, and realized Dōmeki had used her as an excuse to beat him.

The rookies discussed how to deal with Haku and the possibility of another threat, while Naruto tried to recruit Gaara and Dōmeki intervened. At the tower, the survivors met third-round proctor Gekko Hayate, whose beautiful girlfriend inspired Dōmeki's envy—and overheard him saying so.

• Hinata approached the battered Neji, who returned her stolen Forehead Protector and called its thief a bastard.
• Shikamaru proposed teaming up with the Sand trio, and Naruto went to invite Gaara despite Shikamaru's concerns.
• Gaara's gourd began to shake as he grew hostile toward Naruto, but Dōmeki appeared and calmed him with a teasing remark.
• Dōmeki told the rookies they could proceed to the tower, and the surviving teams gathered there for the third round.
• Gekko Hayate arrived as the third-round proctor, and Dōmeki envied his beautiful girlfriend just as a blond girl overheard him.

Gekko Hayate began the third exam’s one-on-one elimination matches, but the Otogakure contestants withdrew, leaving Dōmeki Shun to discuss Orochimaru’s Cursed Seal with Kakashi. Kakashi asked Dōmeki to help Sasuke control the seal, and Dōmeki agreed in exchange for a night on Konoha’s hot spring street.

• Gekko Hayate announced that the third exam would consist of one-on-one elimination matches among the seven surviving teams.
• Kaguya Kimimaro forfeited his match against Dōmeki Shun, and Haku, Karin, and the other Otogakure contestants withdrew as well.
• Kakashi stopped Dōmeki’s group and thanked him for protecting Sasuke and the others during their encounter with Orochimaru.
• Dōmeki explained that Orochimaru’s Cursed Seal was intended to tempt Sasuke to seek power and abandon Konoha, and Kakashi asked him to help Sasuke control it.
• Dōmeki agreed to help after Kakashi promised to pay for a whole night on Konoha’s hot spring street.

Kakashi took Dōmeki to Konoha’s Hot Spring Street, where Dōmeki mocked Kakashi’s claims about ninja restraint after spotting Jiraiya spying on the women’s bath. Dōmeki kicked Jiraiya into the bath and exposed him to the whole street, leaving Kakashi stunned as the women attacked him.

• Kakashi walked Hot Spring Street with Dōmeki and recalled the boy’s unusual skill with Sealing Jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
• Kakashi brought Dōmeki to a hot spring, but Dōmeki complained that they were only soaking instead of experiencing adult decadence.
• Kakashi explained the ninja’s three prohibitions, and Dōmeki spotted Jiraiya peeping over the bathhouse wall.
• Dōmeki kicked Jiraiya into the women’s bath and loudly announced that the Konoha Sannin was spying on the girls.
• The women surrounded and attacked Jiraiya while Dōmeki told the dumbfounded Kakashi to call him.

Dōmeki Shun met Jiraiya after helping expose his misconduct, while Kakashi asked Jiraiya for help concerning Naruto. Before that meeting, Dōmeki sent a Magnet Release clone and a snake into the heavily guarded Hyuga Clan Compound, where the infiltration continued.

• Jiraiya tried to attack Dōmeki after women beat him for two hours, but Kakashi restrained him.
• Dōmeki introduced himself as a Genin from Otogakure, and Kakashi began asking Jiraiya about Naruto.
• Dōmeki asked Kimimaro what kind of eyes he liked, then prepared to begin an operation against the Hyuga Clan.
• Dōmeki opened a small gap in the Hyuga Clan barrier and sent a black snake inside.
• A Hyuga ninja killed the first snake, but a smaller snake emerged from its mouth and continued deeper into the compound.

At Neji Hyuga’s trial, the Main Family punished him with the Caged Bird Seal for injuring Hinata, until Hyuga Hiashi stopped the torture and warned the Branch Family. In the corridor, Hanabi Hyuga confided in a black snake about the clan’s divisions, and the snake unexpectedly answered her.

• An elder of the Main Family accused Neji Hyuga of attacking Hinata and activated the Caged Bird Seal, causing him severe pain.
• Hanabi Hyuga watched Neji suffer from the corridor and told her maid Natsu that she had come to find her friend, a black snake.
• Hyuga Hiashi ordered Elder Zongzhe to stop torturing Neji and warned the Branch Family not to offend the Main Family.
• The Main and Branch Families argued over Hiashi’s decision, and the shrine descended into an uproar.
• Hanabi lamented the Hyuga clan’s divisions to the black snake, which replied that she was far behind the Uchiha Clan.

Hanabi Hyuga questioned a talking black snake about the Caged Bird Seal and the Hyuga clan’s Main and Branch Family system. As Hinata Hyuga arrived at the shrine and defended Neji, Hanabi became distracted from confronting the snake.

• Hyuga Hiashi suppressed demands to punish Neji, and he considered giving Neji the letter left by Hizashi.
• The black snake told Hanabi that the Caged Bird Seal protected the Byakugan from outsiders and possibly from Hyuga clansmen, and claimed the seal could be removed in several ways.
• The snake said the Hyuga could resolve the clan’s divisions if everyone became Branch Family members, though Hanabi realized the Main Family would resist giving up its power.
• Hanabi thanked the snake, then took a Gentle Fist stance and said she would bring it to her father to verify its claims.
• Hinata arrived at the shrine and told her father that Neji was not at fault, while Hanabi watched her sister in admiration.

Hinata defended Neji as the Hyuga Clan argued over punishing him, but a mysterious Masked Man suddenly appeared and attacked the Main Family. He stole Hyuga Sōja’s eyes and declared that he would remind the clan of the Uchiha’s terror.

• Hinata stood up before the clan and insisted that Neji had done nothing wrong in their Genin exam match.
• Hyuga Sōja urged the Main Family to punish Neji by taking his eyes, while Hinata’s protests were drowned out.
• Hanabi’s black snake dissolved into particles, and the Masked Man emerged from a ring of black mist and lightning.
• The Masked Man mocked the Byakugan, stole Hyuga Sōja’s eyes, and sent the Hyuga shinobi who attacked him flying.
• The Masked Man declared that he would remind the Hyuga Clan of the Uchiha’s terror as his right eye turned scarlet.

Dōmeki, disguised as Obito Uchiha, provoked the Hyuga Clan by exposing its past humiliations and then defeated its fighters in a brutal battle. He escaped through a black ring, while Hyuga Hiashi vowed to hunt him across the world.

• Dōmeki claimed to be Obito Uchiha after Hyuga Hiashi recognized his Sharingan, then taunted Hiashi about the Byakugan theft and the Hyuga Clan’s past disgrace.
• Neji Hyuga reacted angrily when Dōmeki brought up Hizashi Hyuga’s execution, and Hiashi attacked Dōmeki with Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms.
• Hiashi’s strikes left Dōmeki unharmed, so he ordered the Main and Branch Families to attack together.
• Dōmeki crushed the Hyuga fighters with his fists and feet, then sent many of them flying with a powerful ground strike.
• Hiashi swore the Hyuga Clan would hunt Dōmeki across the Shinobi World, but Dōmeki bowed mockingly and vanished into a black ring.

The Hyuga Clan reported that a masked Uchiha named Obito had stolen a pair of Byakugan, leaving Kakashi shaken by the possibility that his friend was alive. Meanwhile, Dōmeki explained to Haku that a Hokage’s real job was to make Konoha’s villagers believe its ninja could protect them.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Konoha’s leaders and Kakashi to discuss the stolen Byakugan, while Kakashi denied spreading rumors about Hiruzen and Jiraiya.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Kakashi that the masked intruder called himself Obito Uchiha and exposed the Sharingan in his right eye.
• Kakashi left to pursue information about the Land of Water, while Shimura Danzō urged Hiruzen to take Kakashi’s Sharingan and stormed out after Hiruzen refused.
• Hiruzen reflected on Orochimaru’s return, the stolen Byakugan, and Obito’s reappearance as signs of troubled times for Konoha.
• Haku questioned why Konoha had not reacted more forcefully to the theft, and Dōmeki said the Hokage’s job was to convince the villagers that Konoha’s ninja could protect them.

Obito learned that Konoha had placed an S-rank bounty on him after someone impersonated him while attempting to steal a Byakugan, and he worried that Nagato would discover his identity. Itachi and Kisame headed for Konoha, while a red-haired youth asked Kakashi who Obito was.

• White Zetsu told Obito that Konoha had issued an S-rank bounty notice showing his masked face.
• Obito learned that the notice followed an attempt to steal a Hyuga Byakugan by someone impersonating him, and Black Zetsu feared that their plans might be exposed.
• Konan arrived and summoned Obito to meet Pain, confirming that Nagato had heard the news.
• Itachi folded away the bounty notice and set off for Konoha with Kisame, saying he wanted to go there.
• At an inn in Konoha, a red-haired youth asked Kakashi whether Obito Uchiha was someone he knew.

Dōmeki told Kakashi that the one-eyed Uchiha who controlled Kirigakure was likely Obito and revealed that Itachi was also in Akatsuki. As the Konoha 12 gathered nearby, Sasuke overheard the Uchiha revelations and noticed Dōmeki watching him.

• Dōmeki teased Kakashi about Obito and tried to set him up with Ayame, who blushed and ran away.
• Kakashi pressed Dōmeki about the Uchiha behind Kirigakure, and Dōmeki said he was an S-rank missing-nin in Akatsuki who had one eye and hated the village.
• Kakashi realized the Uchiha was Obito after hearing about his hatred of Kirigakure and its Bloody Mist policy.
• Dōmeki revealed that Itachi, who had wiped out his clan, was also in Akatsuki.
• The Konoha 12 gathered at Ichiraku Ramen, and Sasuke overheard the Uchiha revelations before Dōmeki smiled at him.

Sasuke learned that Obito Uchiha was connected to Akatsuki and asked Dōmeki to reveal the truth about the clan massacre if Sasuke could defeat him. Dōmeki later reunited with Temari, but Gaara interrupted their plans, and the ninja from different villages went their separate ways.

• Dōmeki told Sasuke that Itachi, who massacred the Uchiha Clan, was in Akatsuki, and hinted that there were hidden circumstances behind the massacre.
• Sasuke asked Dōmeki to tell him the truth about that night if he could defeat him in their upcoming match, then asked Kakashi to train him.
• Dōmeki left to meet Temari, while Naruto teased Shikamaru and Ino gossiped with Sakura and Hinata about the pair.
• Dōmeki and Temari reminisced about their childhood and discussed Gaara, the suffering in the Shinobi World, and the possibility of becoming enemies.
• Gaara arrived with Baki's urgent order for Temari, preventing her and Dōmeki from sharing a drink, and the ninja from different villages parted beneath the moonlight.