Recaps

After passing the second exam, Sakura and the other candidates gathered for the preliminary rounds, where Sasuke overcame his Cursed Seal long enough to defeat Akado Yoroi. The first three matches concluded, and the next pairing put Sakura against Neji.

• Sakura and the other candidates gathered in the tower as the Third Hokage explained the political purpose behind the Chunin Exams.
• Gekko Hayate announced Sasuke Uchiha versus Akado Yoroi as the first match, and Sakura told Kakashi she had something important to discuss after the preliminaries.
• Sasuke’s Cursed Seal overwhelmed him during the fight, but Naruto and Sakura’s shouts helped him regain his strength and defeat Akado Yoroi.
• Shino Aburame defeated Zaku Abumi in the second match, and Kankuro defeated Misumi Tsurugi in the third.
• Gekko Hayate announced Sakura Haruno versus Neji Hyuga as the fourth match.

Sakura faced Neji in the Chunin Exam and chose to fight him with Taijutsu, while Neji tried to convince her that her limitations made defeat inevitable. Their opening clash left them evenly matched, with Sakura’s powerful Strong Fist meeting Neji’s fluid Gentle Fist.

• Sakura and Neji leaped from the stands into the hall, where Neji used his Byakugan to recognize her water-assisted Nintaijutsu and Sakura admired his appearance.
• The examiner announced Sakura Haruno versus Neji Hyuga, and Kakashi predicted Sakura’s Nintaijutsu gave her a strong chance against Neji despite Guy and Lee’s doubts.
• Sakura told Neji she would fight with Taijutsu, and Neji criticized her potential, Chakra reserves, and prospects while insisting his Byakugan had revealed her defeat as destiny.
• Sakura rejected Neji’s claims and refused to surrender, so they charged at each other and began exchanging blows.
• Sakura and Neji fought at high speed, with Neji’s subtle Gentle Fist matching Sakura’s forceful, precise Strong Fist.

Sakura and Neji fought a fierce Taijutsu match, and Neji blocked the Chakra flow in Sakura’s right arm with a Tenketsu strike. Sakura revealed that she had allowed the hit to test herself, rejected Neji’s belief in destiny, and resumed their clash.

• Sakura and Neji exchanged more than a hundred blows, each using their knowledge of Strong Fist and Gentle Fist to counter the other.
• Neji changed his approach and struck a Tenketsu on Sakura’s right arm, blocking its Chakra flow and limiting her Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.
• Neji declared that Sakura had no hope of winning, while Kakashi wondered why she had not used Ultra-Pure Water to stop the strike.
• Sakura reflected that she had allowed Neji to hit her so she could test herself against a skilled Taijutsu opponent.
• Sakura told Neji that destiny was no excuse to avoid reality and declared that she would not admit defeat.
• Sakura and Neji charged at each other again, ready to settle their disagreement with their fists and feet.

Sakura overwhelmed Neji with a fierce Nintaijutsu assault, but her strained right arm gave him an opening to use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. She survived by relying on Water Release, defeated him, and declared that she would keep forging her own path rather than submit to destiny.

• Sakura’s loss of Chakra control in her right arm made her Nintaijutsu harder to control, but she intensified her attacks and drove Neji onto the defensive.
• Neji evaded Sakura’s assault until her right arm faltered, then struck her with Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• Sakura caught Neji by surprise after the final strike and knocked him down with a punch when his Rotation lacked enough power to stop her.
• Sakura explained that her Water Release had protected her from Neji’s Gentle Fist and that she had fought with Nintaijutsu to improve her Taijutsu.
• Sakura declared that she would overcome her limitations and refuse to bow to destiny.

After Sakura defeated Neji and urged him to keep hope of escaping his fate, Naruto faced Kiba in the sixth match. Naruto overcame Kiba’s fierce attacks with his strength and stamina, advancing alongside Sakura and Sasuke to the Chunin Ninja Exams’ final round.

• Sakura defeated Neji, and Neji admitted his loss as Sakura encouraged him to believe he could escape the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family’s fate.
• Naruto celebrated Sakura’s victory, then learned he would fight Kiba Inuzuka in the sixth round.
• Naruto ignored Sakura’s warning and fought Kiba and Akamaru hand-to-hand, using his Chakra-enhanced strength to withstand their attacks.
• Kiba’s stamina ran low, and Naruto exploited an opening to knock him down with a punch.
• Naruto defeated Kiba, ensuring that all three members of Team 7 advanced to the final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Kabuto attacked Sasuke in the hospital but escaped after Kakashi and Sakura stopped his decoys. Sakura warned Kakashi that Orochimaru planned to attack Konoha during the third exam, then the finalists drew their match numbers, setting Naruto against Sakura first.

• Kakashi and Sakura found Kabuto attacking Sasuke in a hospital room littered with Anbu corpses.
• Kakashi subdued a Kabuto impostor, while Sakura killed a decoy escaping through the window; the real Kabuto escaped after pretending to be a corpse.
• Kakashi confirmed Sasuke was unharmed, and Sakura told him Orochimaru planned to attack Konoha during the third exam.
• Kakashi trusted Sakura's warning and said he would report it, then encouraged her to prepare for the third exam.
• The Third Hokage had the finalists draw match numbers, and Naruto drew number 1, Sasuke number 4, and Sakura number 2, making Naruto and Sakura the first match.

At a Jonin meeting, the Third ordered Konoha to prepare for a possible attack by Orochimaru, based on signs that he would move against the village. Jiraiya confirmed the threat was likely, and the Third sent him to bring Tsunade back before the third exam.

• Kakashi argued that the deaths of his Anbu squad and Gekko Hayate's warning supported the report that Orochimaru might invade Konoha.
• The Third treated the threat as real for planning purposes and ordered the Staff Department to prepare a contingency plan and gradually raise the alert before the third exam.
• The Third instructed the Jonin to prepare according to the plan and arrange a drill that would move women and children to shelters.
• Jiraiya appeared at the Hokage's office and said there was an eighty percent chance Orochimaru would make a move, judging by activity around Otogakure.
• The Third asked Jiraiya to bring Tsunade back to Konoha before the third exam, and Jiraiya agreed and left.

Jiraiya warned Kakashi about Akatsuki and took responsibility for training Naruto, while Kakashi asked him to find a suitable teacher for Sakura. At the Hyuga residence, Neji trained with Hinata after letting go of his hatred toward the Main Family and coming to terms with his father's death.

• Jiraiya told Kakashi that Akatsuki was gathering information about the Tailed Beasts and might target Naruto, then offered to train him before the third exam.
• Kakashi agreed to focus on Sasuke and asked Jiraiya to help Sakura, explaining that she had developed Wind Release: Rasengan and two Water Release techniques.
• Jiraiya said he knew someone better suited to teach Sakura and promised Kakashi she would appear soon before leaving to check on Naruto.
• Neji and Hinata sparred with Gentle Fist at the Hyuga residence and paused to wipe away their sweat.
• Neji reflected on Sakura's strength and Hiashi's apology, let go of his hatred, and returned to training at the Hyuga compound.

Neji sparred with Hinata and discovered that she had forged a powerful new form of Gentle Fist with Sakura’s help. Hinata revealed techniques that let her amplify her Chakra and attack or defend at a distance, leaving Neji forced to take her seriously.

• Hiashi greeted Neji and asked him to spar with Hinata, whose growth surprised her brother.
• Neji and Hinata cautiously began their match, then clashed using different versions of the Gentle Fist.
• Hinata’s style blended Gentle Fist with Strong Fist principles, using precise Chakra control to strengthen her attacks.
• Sakura and Hinata had developed a Tenketsu technique that safely doubled Hinata’s Chakra after dangerous experiments.
• Hinata demonstrated an Air Palm Technique that created a small Chakra shield for defense and ranged attacks.
• Neji recognized Hinata’s strength as her newly developed fighting style challenged him.

Hinata sparred evenly with Neji, then stopped him and Sakura from fighting when Sakura came to visit. Hinata and Sakura left to buy flowers and food for their planned hospital visits, including one to Choji, whom Hinata had knocked unconscious in the preliminaries.

• Hinata and Neji sparred in several matches, with Hinata's unconventional Taijutsu keeping her close to Neji's level.
• Sakura arrived at the Hyuga training area and traded insults with Neji until they prepared to fight.
• Hinata broke up the confrontation, scolded Sakura and Neji, and dragged Neji away by the ear.
• Hinata and Sakura left the Hyuga residence to buy flowers and food before visiting the injured finalists.
• Hinata recalled how she had defeated Choji in under ten seconds with a single Gentle Fist strike, leaving him unconscious for a day.

Sakura, Hinata, and Ino bought flowers and visited their injured friends at Konoha Hospital. At Lee’s bedside, Sakura recalled the devastating injuries he suffered fighting Gaara and wondered whether his sacrifice had been worth it.

• Ino asked Sakura for advice about Sasuke, and Sakura hid her belief that Ino’s efforts would never win him over.
• Hinata chose freesias for the hospital visits while Ino picked flowers for Sasuke and joined the group.
• Sakura, Hinata, and Ino visited Sasuke, Kiba, Choji, and the other injured patients at Konoha Hospital.
• Hinata and Ino left flowers beside the sleeping Lee while Sakura stayed in the doorway and recalled his fight against Gaara.
• Sakura remembered that Lee’s injuries might end his career as a ninja, and she silently questioned whether his sacrifice had been worth it.

Sakura, Hinata, and Ino reflected on the risks of pursuing their dreams while visiting the injured Lee. Gaara arrived intending to kill Lee, but Sakura blocked his attack, and the sight of her defeating his sand reminded him of the Konoha ninja who had stopped him before.

• Hinata worried that chasing her dream of escaping the Hyuga Clan’s Cursed Seal could end in suffering, but said she would rather fight and fail than give up without trying.
• Sakura, Hinata, and Ino visited Lee in the hospital, where Sakura stopped when Gaara appeared and said he wanted to kill him.
• Gaara explained that killing was the meaning of his existence and described how his father had repeatedly sent assassins after him.
• Hinata tried to stand against Gaara, but his killing intent frightened her; Sakura held her ground and warned him not to take another step.
• Gaara attacked Sakura with sand, but her Ultra-Pure Water crushed it, bringing to his mind the Konoha ninja who had previously stopped him from killing Lee.

After Sakura defeated Gaara, she told him to clean up the sand, leaving him confused by unfamiliar feelings. The next morning, Sakura began training Naruto in Water Walking and challenged him and his Shadow Clones to combat on the river.

• Gaara left after Sakura defeated him, but paused when she demanded he clean up the sand he had scattered.
• Sakura warned Gaara that her friend kept an even bigger monster and that he would have fared worse if that friend had been there.
• Naruto complained that Kakashi had left him and Sakura to train alone while focusing on Sasuke.
• Sakura chose Water Walking from their training outline, and Naruto used Shadow Clones to learn the technique quickly.
• Sakura announced water-surface combat training and faced Naruto and his Shadow Clones.

Sakura and Naruto fought a clone battle on the river, where Sakura used the terrain to strengthen her Water Release techniques. After their forces reached a stalemate and Sakura recognized she could not match Naruto’s stamina, she unleashed a massive Great Waterfall Technique toward him.

• Sakura adjusted to fighting on the river and felt her Water Release abilities grow stronger in the water.
• Naruto summoned hundreds of Shadow Clones to attack Sakura.
• Sakura countered with her Legion Water Clone Technique, creating hundreds of sword-wielding Water Clones.
• The two armies fought evenly, with Naruto’s numbers meeting Sakura’s clones’ stronger attacks as both combatants spent Chakra.
• Sakura ended the clone stalemate, raised a vast mass of river water with the Great Waterfall Technique, and brought it crashing toward Naruto.

Naruto and Sakura sparred, and Naruto’s combined Wind Cutter Techniques overpowered Sakura’s Great Waterfall Technique before Jiraiya appeared after peeping on them. Jiraiya offered to train them and challenged Sakura’s understanding of Water Release, leaving her considering his idea that its nature was pressure rather than flow.

• Naruto combined more than a hundred Shadow Clones’ Wind Cutter Techniques and drove back Sakura’s Great Waterfall Technique.
• Sakura charged Naruto with a punch, but stopped when he pointed out that her soaked clothes had become transparent.
• Sakura discovered Jiraiya hiding nearby and smashed his monocular with a Water Gun Technique.
• Jiraiya defended his peeping as research, and Sakura struck his summoned toad hard enough to make him offer training pointers.
• Jiraiya asked how Sakura understood Water Release’s nature transformation, and she answered that it was flow.
• Jiraiya proposed that Water Release was instead based on pressure, describing how pressure could increase impact, shape water, and create fog.

Sakura argued to Jiraiya that water nature transformation was fundamentally flow, with pressure arising from it, while Jiraiya weighed her reasoning against decades of accepted doctrine. After setting the debate aside, Jiraiya offered to teach her Wind Release and described its next level.

• Sakura explained that water’s fluidity produced pressure and defended her view with her experience using Ultra-Pure Water and principles of physics.
• Jiraiya was impressed by Sakura’s argument but ended the discussion without deciding whether she was right.
• Sakura told Jiraiya she was studying Wind Release and Ice Release and was frustrated by her dwindling supply of Ultra-Pure Water.
• Jiraiya assessed Sakura’s Wind Release progress and offered to guide her in the nature transformation.
• Jiraiya told Sakura that the next level of Wind Release was cutting molecules.

Sakura explained that the seven Chakra attributes were distinct from the natural substances and phenomena they were named after. She warned against deriving Chakra theory from the literal meanings of attribute names.

• Sakura identified water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, yin, and yang as the seven Chakra Nature Transformations.
• Sakura explained that the seven attributes encompassed Chakra energy, while their natural namesakes represented only parts of the material world.
• Sakura suggested that ninjas had named Chakra attributes after natural things because they shared similar properties rather than identical characteristics.
• Sakura scolded students who applied the properties of natural wind directly to wind Chakra and told them to relearn Chakra theory using abstract labels.

After Jiraiya’s lessons gave Sakura new ideas for mastering Wind Release and producing Ultra-Pure Water, she returned home and was reunited with Haku. Haku had moved in with Sakura’s family while awaiting approval to work at Konoha Hospital, and the chapter ended with him sharing in the warmth of Sakura’s home.

• Sakura struggled to assess Jiraiya’s theories about Chakra natures but remembered the claims she could not yet verify.
• Jiraiya advised Sakura during sparring with Naruto and introduced her to Wind Release Nature Transformation, inspiring a possible new method for purifying water.
• Sakura arrived home and embraced Haku, whom she had barely seen during the three months since he came to Konoha.
• Sakura explained that Haku’s registration and monitoring had kept him apart from her, and she realized Kakashi had found her an Ice Release teacher.
• Sakura teased her mother about making Haku help with housework, then listened to her mother’s familiar complaints while Haku enjoyed their lively family scene.

Sakura welcomed Haku home and took him shopping for personal items and ninja equipment, where they ran into Hinata. Over the following weeks, Sakura trained with Haku in Ice Release, while Naruto trained with Jiraiya; the chapter ended with Sakura and Haku facing each other at a training ground.

• Sakura relaxed at home with Haku after sparring with Naruto, then her mother helped Haku prepare for an outing.
• Sakura took Haku to buy personal necessities and ninja gear, and Haku drew attention from people on the street.
• Sakura and Haku met Hinata at a ninja tool shop, and Hinata joined them to shop around the Hyuga Clan's stores.
• Naruto left Konoha with Jiraiya to train in the Summoning Technique and draw out the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
• In the final week before the exams, Sakura and Haku faced each other at a training ground littered with ice, Senbon, and Kunai.

Haku and Sakura tested their Ice Release by dueling with Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, and Sakura discovered the technique’s exhausting pace did not yet suit her. The chapter also showed Jiraiya asking Tsunade to return to Konoha because Orochimaru threatened the village, but Tsunade refused.

• Haku and Sakura fought using Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals until Sakura ran out of stamina and admitted defeat.
• Haku recognized Sakura’s talent and considered the threat posed by her Water Gun Technique and Ultra-Pure Water.
• Sakura reflected that Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals exhausted her too quickly and wondered whether she could adapt it before the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Two weeks earlier in Tanzaku Town, Jiraiya found Tsunade and warned her that Orochimaru had returned to Konoha while the village was short-handed.
• Jiraiya asked Tsunade to return and help protect the Third Hokage, but Tsunade refused.

Tsunade’s memories of Nawaki and Dan made her reconsider returning to Konoha after Naruto reminded her of her brother. When Naruto failed to master the Summoning Technique by the seventh day, Jiraiya offered a dangerous way to awaken the power within him, and Naruto chose to risk his life rather than give up.

• Jiraiya repeatedly tried to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha, but she rejected the Hokage role because she blamed it for the deaths of Nawaki and Dan.
• Seeing Naruto’s determination and recognizing Nawaki in him, Tsunade bet that he could master the Summoning Technique in a week, wagering her return to Konoha and a treasured keepsake against the money in Naruto’s wallet.
• Naruto summoned only tadpoles and toads during the first six days, and by noon on the seventh he had exhausted his Chakra without mastering the technique.
• Jiraiya offered Naruto a dangerous method to awaken the immense power inside him, warning that failure could cost him his life.
• Tsunade tried to stop Jiraiya, but Naruto insisted on continuing, saying he needed the power to protect his comrades and pursue his dream of becoming Hokage.

Naruto survived his fall during Jiraiya’s training after summoning a giant toad, and Tsunade and Shizune treated his severe injuries. He woke in the hospital and prepared to fight Sakura, while Sakura reflected on how Konoha’s future was already diverging from the original story.

• Naruto summoned a giant toad at the last moment, but hit the ground and suffered severe injuries.
• Tsunade and Shizune rushed to Naruto and used medical ninjutsu to treat him as he slipped into darkness.
• Naruto regained consciousness and clutched Tsunade’s necklace, saying he had won their bet.
• Sakura gave the recovered Naruto an apple and challenged him about their upcoming match.
• Naruto and Sakura traded taunts in the hospital as Sakura considered the changes to Konoha’s future.

The Chunin Exam finals were delayed until the Land of Fire’s daimyo and nobles arrived, then the first match began between Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. Sakura appeared to stab Naruto in the abdomen at incredible speed, leaving the spectators stunned as he collapsed.

• Naruto complained about the delayed matches, while Sakura suspected the Land of Fire’s dignitaries were asserting their authority over Konoha.
• Hinata tried to calm Sakura and Naruto, and Hiashi advised Neji and Hanabi to study Sakura and Hinata’s techniques.
• The daimyo and nobles arrived, and the Third Hokage opened the selection matches before Genma Shiranui announced Naruto and Sakura as the first opponents.
• Naruto and Sakura exchanged confident words, then Genma started the match.
• Sakura rushed Naruto and plunged a kunai into his abdomen; Naruto fell as Sakura calmly acknowledged his speed.

Sakura and Naruto traded deceptive clone techniques before escalating their match, with Sakura using stored water to overwhelm Naruto’s Shadow Clones. The arena was left flooded and devastated, while Naruto’s fate remained unclear.

• Naruto and Sakura each evaded the other’s opening attack with clones and Substitution techniques, impressing the spectators with their timing.
• Sakura ended the probing exchange, and Naruto announced that he would show the results of his recent training before summoning a vast army of Shadow Clones.
• Sakura fired a Water Gun Technique to destroy clones, then used Ultra-Pure Water footholds to rise above the approaching swarm.
• Sakura unsealed a large supply of water and shaped it into a gigantic Water Dragon Bullet.
• Sakura sent the water dragon crashing into the arena, wiping out Naruto’s Shadow Clones and flooding the battlefield.

Sakura and Naruto continued their Chunin Exam fight, trading a massive water attack, a sudden speed-powered kick, and a hidden Wind Release counter. Sakura survived Naruto’s coordinated follow-up, but he sent an apparently endless wave of Shadow Clones at her as the battle continued.

• Sakura used a massive Water Release to destroy Naruto’s Shadow Clones and leave Naruto badly hurt.
• Sakura used Nintaijutsu to move at extraordinary speed and kick Naruto, but he countered with a Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough prepared in advance.
• Sakura blocked Naruto’s wind attack with an Ultra-Pure Water shield while Naruto launched Shadow Clones from beneath the water.
• Sakura dodged the clones’ weapons and defeated one, then noticed Naruto gathering Chakra underwater as more Shadow Clones attacked from every direction.