Recaps

Sakura used her newly learned Ice Release to wipe out Naruto’s Shadow Clones and trap him, but Naruto drew on the Nine-Tails’ Chakra and summoned a gigantic creature. The chapter ended with Naruto atop the creature as the battle continued.

• Naruto sent hundreds of Shadow Clones at Sakura, surrounding her with attacks from every direction.
• Sakura used Ice Release: Frost Ice Burial to freeze the arena, destroy the clones, and bind Naruto in ice.
• Naruto refused to admit defeat and released a vast surge of the Nine-Tails’ Chakra from inside the ice pillar.
• Naruto performed the Summoning Technique, shattering the ice and bringing a giant creature into the arena.

Sakura Haruno fought Naruto Uzumaki and his summoned beast Gamabunta in the Chunin Exam match, overcoming Gamabunta’s attacks to defeat Naruto with her Ice Release technique. Genma Shiranui declared Sakura the winner, while the spectators and ninja discussed the strength and unusual abilities both fighters had shown.

• Naruto summoned Gamabunta, who argued with him before agreeing to fight Sakura.
• Gamabunta attacked Sakura with Iron Cannonballs and a powerful sword slash, but her layered water shields protected her.
• Sakura counterattacked with a giant ice blade, then used Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to appear behind Gamabunta and knock Naruto unconscious.
• Gamabunta acknowledged the match was over and vanished, and Genma Shiranui declared Sakura Haruno the winner.
• The spectators praised the fight, while the ninja discussed Sakura’s Ice Release and Naruto’s use of the Nine-Tails’ Chakra.

After Sakura defeated Naruto, she encouraged him and he recovered his spirits as the crowd cheered. Hinata and Temari took their positions for the next match, and as Genma Shiranui started it, Sakura suddenly narrowed her eyes.

• Sakura sent away the medical team and told them Naruto had only passed out from exhaustion.
• Naruto woke up dejected over his loss, but Sakura praised his perseverance and the crowd's applause cheered him up.
• Hinata and Temari were called to fight, and Sakura warned Hinata that Temari seemed to specialize in Wind Release Ninjutsu.
• Hinata and Temari assessed the need to control distance, then faced each other with Hinata activating her Byakugan.
• Genma Shiranui announced the start of the match, and Sakura narrowed her eyes from the waiting platform.

Hinata turned the match against Temari by using a broken ice blade to cut through her wind attacks, then defeated her at close range. Shikamaru was called to face Kankuro, but the match ended before he could forfeit when Kankuro withdrew.

• Temari repeatedly used her giant fan to unleash wind blades and keep Hinata on the defensive.
• Sakura complained about Temari's advantage, while Shikamaru explained that Temari's skill and strategy made her a formidable opponent.
• Shikamaru described a possible plan involving the broken ice blades, but Hinata picked up one and used it to cut through Temari's storm.
• Hinata defeated Temari in close combat after Temari's fan shattered the ice blade, and Genma Shiranui declared Hinata the winner.
• Shikamaru reluctantly prepared to face Kankuro, but Kankuro forfeited the match.

Kankuro forfeited to conceal his puppet, and Gaara nearly killed Shino after Shino surrendered, forcing Genma to intervene. Sasuke then fought Gaara at extreme speed, and Sakura realized the Konoha Crush attack was about to begin.

• Kankuro forfeited rather than reveal his puppet, while Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru advanced to the next round.
• Gaara entered the waiting area consumed by bloodlust, and Sakura warned Shino to forfeit if he was in danger.
• Gaara crushed Shino’s insects, trapped him with sand, and kept attacking after Shino surrendered until Genma rescued him.
• Sasuke arrived for his match against Gaara, while Kakashi surveyed the venue and assessed its defenses against a possible attack.
• Sasuke used Lightning Release to fight at extreme speed, and Sakura recognized that the Konoha Crush attack was imminent.

Sasuke’s speed and Sharingan let him overwhelm Gaara, leaving Baki increasingly worried that the Jinchūriki might lose control and derail the Konoha Crush Plan. Baki also began doubting the Kazekage’s judgment and the mysterious Ninjutsu Orochimaru had supplied as Sasuke continued to taunt Gaara.

• Sasuke used his speed and Sharingan to evade Gaara’s sand and strike through his Sand Armor, injuring him for the second time.
• Baki, Kankuro, and Temari watched Gaara bleed, while Baki questioned whether Gaara could defeat Sasuke and the powerful girl from the previous match.
• Baki feared that Gaara might lose control, ruining the plan to attack the Third Hokage alongside the Kazekage and Shukaku.
• Baki recalled that the Kazekage’s behavior had changed after receiving Ninjutsu from Orochimaru, and he questioned whether the Kazekage’s plan would leave Sunagakure vulnerable even if it succeeded.
• Sasuke punched apart Gaara’s Sand Armor and mocked him, while Baki watched with a grim expression.

As Konoha braced for Orochimaru’s attack, Might Guy patrolled the village with two Anbu squads and explained Orochimaru’s history to his team. Their conversation turned to the promising exam contestants, especially Sakura Haruno, before a signal flare announced that the attack had begun.

• Might Guy led two Anbu squads on patrol, searching Konoha’s defenses for gaps Orochimaru could exploit.
• An Anbu asked about Orochimaru, and Guy recounted his former ties to the Third Hokage and his defection from Konoha.
• The Anbu discussed why Orochimaru might attack now and praised the strength of the new generation of exam contestants.
• Might Guy said Sakura Haruno was stronger than Lee and Neji, and had already reached Jonin-level strength.
• A signal flare exploded over the village, and Guy’s Anbu squad prepared to move as the attack began.

Sasuke’s assault drove Gaara to transform, while a large-scale genjutsu and the Sand and Sound shinobi’s coordinated attack began the Konoha Crush. Sakura’s intervention changed the battle on the main platform, where Orochimaru faced Tsunade and the Third Hokage, and she killed a Sound shinobi who attacked her.

• Sasuke battered Gaara until Gaara covered himself in sand and awakened a monstrous form.
• The invaders cast the Temple of Nirvana Technique, putting the spectators to sleep and signaling the start of the attack on Konoha.
• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro joined the Sound shinobi as the Third Hokage confronted the disguised Fourth Kazekage.
• Orochimaru revealed himself, and Tsunade joined the Third Hokage against him inside a barrier.
• A Sound shinobi attacked Sakura from behind, but she struck him with an ice sword and killed him.

Sakura killed several Sound Ninja and was ordered by Kakashi to lead a squad supporting Sasuke and bring everyone back safely. She recruited Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata, then led them out through a wall Hinata smashed open.

• Sakura killed two Sound Ninja, and Kakashi arrived to take down two more before warning her and Naruto about the urgent situation.
• Kakashi ordered Sakura to lead a support squad, find Sasuke, and make sure everyone returned safely.
• Sakura chose Naruto and Shikamaru for the squad, and Hinata volunteered to track Sasuke with her Byakugan.
• Sakura and Hinata defeated another group of Sound Ninja, convincing Shikamaru to join the squad.
• Shikamaru warned that the arena exit was likely guarded, so Hinata punched through the outer wall and Sakura led the group out.

Sound and Sand shinobi launched a coordinated attack on Konoha, breaking through its wall as the village struggled to respond. Away from the invasion, Hinata ambushed the girl she mistook for Sakura and asked where the real Sakura was.

• Sound Ninja disguised as civilians attacked Konoha, catching its defenders off guard while Sand shinobi approached the village.
• Sound Ninja summoned giant pythons that smashed through Konoha's wall, allowing the Sand shinobi main force to enter.
• Hinata ran alone through the forest and stopped when she sensed someone following her.
• Sakura caught up with Hinata and asked where the others were.
• Hinata punched the girl in front of her, watched her collapse, and asked where Sakura was.

Hinata confronted Kabuto after he used a corpse disguised as Sakura to deceive the team, and demanded to know where Sakura was. Earlier, Sakura had stayed behind to face eight pursuing Sound Ninja alone so Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru could reach Sasuke; Kabuto admitted he had gone around Sakura, and prepared to fight Hinata.

• Hinata saw through Kabuto's corpse disguise with her Byakugan and confronted him.
• Kabuto said he had bypassed Sakura because fighting her would take too long, then threatened Hinata.
• Hinata worried that Sakura might have been defeated, but resolved to protect her teammates and demanded Sakura's whereabouts.
• Hinata had detected eight likely Sound Ninja pursuing the squad, and Sakura chose to stay behind and face them alone.
• Sakura sent Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru ahead to support Sasuke, then turned toward the approaching enemies.

Sakura reflected on how her former identity had changed as she faced eight Sound Ninja, then used Tsunade’s Monstrous Strength Technique to overwhelm them in close combat. She killed four of them within seconds, and the remaining Sound Ninja were still surrounded by her.

• Sakura considered how accepting life as Sakura Haruno had changed her while leaving her sharp skills and pride intact.
• Eight Sound Ninja surrounded Sakura after she destroyed their scouting clones with Water Release: Super Water Gun Technique.
• Sakura revealed that she had learned Nintaijutsu from Tsunade and charged the Sound Ninja captain.
• Sakura killed the captain with a single Monstrous Strength Technique punch, then swiftly killed three more Sound Ninja.
• The fight continued as Sakura faced the remaining Sound Ninja, having killed four in only a few seconds.

Sakura Haruno killed a fifth Sound Ninja and faced the three remaining attackers, who chose to fight rather than flee. She blocked their weapons with an ice shield and detonated it into a storm of ice shards, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Sakura Haruno used Wing Chun footwork and Monstrous Strength Technique to break the fifth Sound Ninja's ribs and crush his heart and lungs.
• The three remaining Sound Ninja attacked Sakura with a barrage of Kunai and Shuriken, then charged her together.
• Sakura formed a shield from ordinary distilled water and froze it with Ice Release, blocking the incoming weapons.
• A Sound Ninja pierced the ice shield, and Sakura used Ice Release: Exploding Ice Burial to blast its fragments at all three attackers.

Sakura reflected on the brutal battle she had won and resolved to grow stronger so she could change the violent world. Elsewhere, Kabuto used his Doki Manipulation Technique to gain control of his fight with Hinata.

• Sakura surveyed the Sound Ninja she had killed and accepted that she had become a ninja who killed to survive.
• Sakura grew angry at the wars and cruelty of the world, then decided to build her strength, find like-minded people, and keep killing until she could change things.
• Sakura left the clearing and headed toward the more distant battlefield.
• Kabuto’s Doki Manipulation Technique modified and controlled corpses, preserving their abilities and letting them fight without pain or fatigue.
• Kabuto relied on his stored corpses to overwhelm Hinata and explained that his technique could make him a dangerous opponent even for Kakashi.

Hinata fought Kabuto’s Doki until exhaustion, while Kabuto relied on their strength to overwhelm her. He offered to spare her if she revealed Sasuke’s whereabouts, but she refused to betray her comrade.

• Kabuto’s Doki surrounded Hinata and attacked her head-on, exploiting the weakness of her Gentle Fist against corpses.
• Hinata battered the Doki and deflected their volleys of ninja tools, but the relentless fighting drained her stamina.
• Kabuto emerged from the shadows and told Hinata she had lost, then offered to spare her if she revealed which way Sasuke had gone.
• Hinata refused, declaring that she would not betray her comrade even if Kabuto killed her.

Kabuto tried to make Hinata reveal Sasuke’s location by attacking her loyalty to Konoha, but she refused to betray her comrades. As Kabuto unleashed a fatal attack, Sakura Haruno arrived and saved Hinata with a powerful Water Release technique.

• Kabuto mocked Hinata’s loyalty by citing Konoha’s betrayal of White Fang and the Hyuga Clan, then offered to spare her if she revealed where Sasuke had gone.
• Hinata recalled her bonds with her friends, family, and comrades and decided she would rather die than betray Sasuke.
• Hinata gave Kabuto a false direction and reaffirmed that she would never betray her comrades, prompting him to prepare a full-power Doki Manipulation attack.
• Kabuto asked why Hinata held to her principles despite accepting his criticisms, and Hinata told him that protecting loved ones made people strong.
• Kabuto sent a rain of ninja tools at Hinata, but a pale blue-green water barrier protected her.
• Sakura Haruno appeared and used Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent to slice through the Doki, the surrounding obstacles, and Kabuto.

Sakura rescued Hinata with her new Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent, then revealed the technique’s development and its power. Kabuto’s hidden attacks forced Sakura into a desperate midair evasion, and the chapter ended as a Doki’s Kunai neared her forehead.

• Sakura emerged after cutting through the woodland with Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent, and Hinata realized she had been nearby while Hinata faced Kabuto.
• Sakura explained how she developed Wind Blade Torrent to make her Water Gun Technique more effective against Chakra-enhanced weapons and defenses.
• Sakura warned that Kabuto was still alive, and Hinata activated her Byakugan to search for him.
• Kabuto burst from beneath Sakura and reached for her ankles, but Sakura sensed him through the disturbed puddle and leaped away.
• A wave of Doki attacked Sakura from behind, and she cut them apart with Wind Blade Torrent while evading their Kunai.
• Another Doki ambushed Sakura from above, and its Kunai nearly reached her forehead as she bent backward in midair.

Sakura stopped the Doki’s kunai with an Ice Release technique, killed it, and turned toward Kabuto. Kabuto recognized her next move as the Monstrous Strength Technique: Wind God Leg.

• Kabuto recalled Sakura’s powerful Water Release techniques and watched for a weakness as the Doki attacked her.
• Sakura formed one-handed Hand Seals and froze the kunai in a rapidly growing mass of ice.
• Sakura pierced the Doki’s head with an icicle, killing it and gaining time to recover.
• Sakura flipped in midair to face Kabuto, who recognized her Chakra as she used the Monstrous Strength Technique: Wind God Leg.

Sakura and Hinata survived Kabuto’s attack, and Kabuto retreated after concluding that Sakura’s Water Release had restrictions. The two recovered apart from the others, then discussed their teammates and teased each other about romance.

• Kabuto withdrew his Chakra Scalpel and escaped Sakura’s powerful kick with the Substitution Technique.
• Kabuto probed Sakura for the limits of her Water Release, but Sakura tracked his position and drove him away with Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent.
• Hinata used her Byakugan to confirm that Kabuto had retreated toward Konoha, and Sakura admitted she had nearly run out of Ultra-Pure Water.
• Sakura and Hinata compared what had happened since they were separated and estimated that they were seventeen or eighteen kilometers from Sasuke and the others.
• Sakura asked Hinata whether she liked Naruto or Sasuke, and Hinata said she preferred someone mature and steady.
• Hinata asked Sakura about her romantic interests, and Sakura joked that she liked Hinata instead of men.

Hinata and Sakura arrived after the battle between their teammates and Gaara’s group, leaving Sakura to decide the Sand shinobi’s fate. Naruto asked her to spare Gaara, and Sakura agreed to let the three go.

• Hinata located the others with her Byakugan, and Sakura discovered that her Monstrous Strength Technique had shattered one of her shoes.
• Sakura and Hinata reached the battlefield to find Shikamaru unconscious from poison, Naruto and Sasuke exhausted, and Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari badly weakened.
• Sakura considered killing, capturing, or releasing the Sand shinobi, weighing the team’s condition and Konoha’s interests.
• Naruto asked Sakura to spare Gaara because he understood his loneliness and believed he could change.
• Sakura accepted Naruto’s judgment, helped him stand, and told Gaara and his companions they could leave.

Sakura and her companions returned to Konoha after the invasion was repelled, where they learned that the Third Hokage was gravely injured and had lost an arm. The next morning, Sakura reviewed the casualty report and received a rebuilding assignment alongside Naruto, while Sasuke was assigned to patrol.

• Sakura and her companions entered Konoha through the breached wall, and the fleeing Sound Ninja avoided them as they hurried past.
• At the temporary command post, Kakashi sent Shikamaru for treatment and told Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata to rest before reporting for duty the next day.
• Kakashi revealed that the Third Hokage was unconscious and in grave danger after cutting off his arm to slow the spread of snake venom.
• That evening, a red-eyed young man and a tall man in a straw hat watched Konoha from the wall, concluded their mission had failed, and left.
• The next morning, Sakura read the invasion casualty list while Shikamaru complained about working all night to compile it.
• Kakashi assigned Sasuke to patrol and Naruto to repair houses; Sakura discovered that she had also been assigned house-rebuilding work.

Sakura helped rebuild homes after Konoha’s invasion and attended the funeral for the thirty-seven fallen ninja. With missions suspended and little to occupy her, she met Naruto and Sasuke at the training ground, where Sasuke asked her to fight him for real.

• Kakashi explained that Sakura and Naruto had been assigned to repair homes for villagers displaced by the invasion, and Sakura accepted the mission.
• Haku’s service during the invasion earned approval in Konoha, and her application to join Konoha Hospital was accepted.
• Tsunade led the funeral before the Memorial Stone, reading the names of the thirty-seven dead and honoring their sacrifices.
• Konoha suspended missions while its senior ninja reviewed village defenses and Genin undertook combat training; Sakura had no required training or guidance.
• Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke met at the training ground during their break and failed to agree on what to do.
• Sasuke asked Sakura to fight him for real.

Sakura declined Sasuke’s proposed full-strength spar because she had used up her Ultra-Pure Water, then offered to test her new Ice Release techniques instead. After demonstrating how quickly she could cast a cutting water technique, she and Sasuke agreed to spar and took their stances.

• Sakura considered Sasuke’s likely strategy and realized he had probably awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Sakura reflected that Ice Release Chakra seemed to be improving her speed, reactions, and composure in battle.
• Sakura refused to fight with Ultra-Pure Water because she had used it all, and said she would not use Wind Blade Torrent because it was becoming too dangerous for sparring.
• Sakura demonstrated that she could cast Water Release: Super Water Gun Technique with a raised hand, cutting through a distant stone.
• Sasuke agreed to test their recent progress, and he and Sakura formed the Seal of Confrontation.

After Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, Sakura became a Chunin and began studying Medical Ninjutsu under Shizune’s guidance. As Sakura adjusted to her book-heavy training, Konoha healed and reopened its mission system, and Team 7 resumed its routine.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi woke and presided over Tsunade’s inauguration as the Fifth Hokage.
• Sakura and Shikamaru were promoted to Chunin, and Sakura treated Team Kakashi to a barbecue meal.
• Tsunade began Sakura’s apprenticeship by assigning her a stack of books, while Shizune took charge of her reading and tests.
• Sakura studied medicine and biology from library and archive books, then returned most of them after learning the basics.
• Sakura suggested that Ms. Mebuki Haruno have another child, but her mother declined.
• Konoha reopened its mission system after recovering from the invasion, and Team 7 reunited for missions, training, and study.

Sakura Haruno reflected on how her actions had made the future impossible to predict and how her teammates’ exceptional potential threatened to outpace her own. She resolved to rely on her effort and continued growth, while discovering that long-term Ice Release training might gradually improve her physical abilities.

• Sakura recognized that her changes to Konoha and the story had left her unable to predict future events, and she knew little about the later plot.
• Sakura assessed her Jonin-level strength and worried that Naruto and Sasuke would soon surpass her because their potential far exceeded hers.
• Sakura compared her recent progress with Naruto’s and Sasuke’s rapid gains, including Sasuke’s Sharingan and Lightning Blade and Naruto’s Chakra reserves and Summoning Technique.
• Sakura judged most of her Water Release techniques too costly for their combat value and found that Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals demanded more reaction speed than she possessed.
• Sakura discovered that learning Ice Release was slowly improving her physical abilities and might eventually pass the Kekkei Genkai on to a child.