Chapter Summaries

After Kakashi discovered Sasuke could use as many Chidori as he could, Sasuke met Neji, who asked to consult Monkey Kitsu about finding a way to escape his fate. Monkey Kitsu recognized Neji as a Hyuga Branch Family member, leaving his response to Neji's request unresolved.

• Kakashi realized Sasuke's Chidori limit matched his own, then left to buy goji berries.
• Sasuke found Neji sitting near the Ama Guri Ama Shop, and Neji said he wanted to find a way to break free of his fate.
• Neji asked Sasuke to summon the monkey whose advice had changed Sasuke's outlook.
• Sasuke summoned Monkey Kitsu, and Neji respectfully asked him for guidance.
• Monkey Kitsu noticed Neji's covered forehead and identified him as being from the Hyuga Branch Family.

Monkey Kitsu helped Neji find a way to challenge the Hyuga Branch Family’s fate by backing a future Hokage. Neji asked Sasuke to join forces, and Sasuke promised to pursue the Hokage position after completing his revenge.

• Monkey Kitsu explained to Sasuke and Neji how the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family served as the clan’s face and hidden foundation.
• Neji revealed his Caged Bird seal and asked Monkey Kitsu how he could escape the Branch Family’s control.
• Monkey Kitsu advised Neji to become Hokage or support someone who could become Hokage, and Neji chose to pursue the latter path for the Branch Family’s descendants.
• Neji identified Sasuke as his strongest candidate and asked what he planned to do after killing Uchiha Itachi.
• Neji offered to help Sasuke become Hokage in exchange for Sasuke helping change the Hyuga Clan’s fate.
• Sasuke said he would first focus on strength and revenge, but promised to strive to become Hokage afterward.

Sasuke agreed to help Neji and found a purpose beyond revenge, while the Third Hokage organized Konoha’s defenses ahead of the Chunin Exams, anticipating an attack by Orochimaru. The chapter ended with the village’s leaders readying for the final round and the danger expected to come with it.

• Sasuke clasped hands with Neji after agreeing to help him and considering what he might live for after revenge.
• The Third Hokage asked Anko Mitarashi, Iruka, and Kakashi to outline Konoha’s crisis response plan, then checked the Sealing Team’s preparations for Impure World Reincarnation.
• The Third Hokage ordered the Barrier Team to seal off Konoha and assigned the village’s clans and shinobi teams to defend its western, southern, and eastern approaches.
• The Third Hokage kept the northern defenses under his own watch and assigned Kakashi, Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi to protect the arena and its spectators.
• Might Guy offered to guard the Third Hokage, but the Third Hokage insisted he did not need protection, drawing laughter from the assembled leaders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his comrades discussed the danger facing Konoha, while Naruto and Sasuke prepared for the Chunin Exam Finals. Naruto entered the arena fired up despite the betting odds favoring Sasuke, eager to prove himself and fight his friend.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzō for help, but Homura and Koharu refused to risk Konoha's leaders; Danzō affirmed his role as the village's hidden Root.
• Jiraiya woke Sasuke and told him to fetch Naruto for the Chunin Exam Finals.
• Naruto discovered that Jiraiya had placed nearly all his bets on Sasuke, and saw that his own odds had fallen to 720:1.
• Hinata bought a ticket on Naruto and encouraged him to do his best before Naruto and Sasuke entered the arena.
• As the crowd cheered for Sasuke, he told Naruto not to lose because he wanted to fight him, and Naruto answered with renewed fighting spirit.

Naruto and Rock Lee fought in the first match of the Chunin Exam finals, while the crowd mocked them as “Dead Last” contestants. After Lee removed his training weights, he overwhelmed Naruto and left him staggering.

• Shiranui Genma announced that Naruto would face Rock Lee and sent the other contestants back to the waiting room.
• Naruto attacked first, but Lee dodged his assault and knocked him down with the Leaf Whirlwind.
• Naruto created Shadow Clones and coordinated an attack, but Lee countered them with the Leaf Great Whirlwind and Leaf Rising Wind.
• Lee removed the heavy weights strapped beneath his leg warmers, shocking Naruto and the spectators.
• Encouraged by Might Guy, Lee moved at high speed, destroyed Naruto’s clones, and struck Naruto hard enough to send him flying.

Rock Lee used the Eight Gates Formation to overcome Naruto’s army of Shadow Clones, driven by his determination to prove that hard work could make him an incredible ninja. He opened the Third and Fourth Gates, and his sudden burst of speed began destroying Naruto’s clones.

• Naruto filled the arena with over a thousand Shadow Clones, forcing Lee to abandon the Hidden Lotus and fight the army.
• Lee used Leaf Rising Wind against the clones, but his body began to suffer backlash from opening the Gate of Opening.
• Might Guy revealed that Lee had opened five gates, and Kakashi explained the danger of the Eight Gates Formation and the Reverse Lotus.
• Lee recalled his determination to surpass Neji and declared that his body and hard work could make him an incredible ninja.
• Lee opened the Third Gate, Gate of Life, and then the Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, before tearing through Naruto’s Shadow Clones at tremendous speed.

Naruto defeated Rock Lee in a brutal match after both boys fought through devastating injuries and exhaustion. In the waiting room, Gaara nearly attacked Naruto before Kankuro reminded him of their mission and led him away to attend the next match.

• Rock Lee opened the Fifth Gate and used Reverse Lotus, but Naruto survived by cushioning his fall with Shadow Clones.
• Naruto and Lee continued fighting with battered Shadow Clones until Might Guy stopped Lee, who had lost consciousness but was still moving by instinct.
• Shiranui Genma declared Naruto the winner, and the crowd cheered while Naruto felt sorrow despite his victory.
• Gaara entered Naruto's waiting room and said he wanted to kill Naruto to give meaning to his existence.
• Kankuro interrupted Gaara and reminded him of their mission and the upcoming match, then carried him away.

Temari and Shikamaru Nara fought in the Chunin Exams as Temari recalled Baki’s orders to help Sunagakure attack Konoha. Shikamaru used the changing shadows to outmaneuver Temari, and the chapter ended with her looking up at a falling jacket parachute.

• Baki told Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro that Sunagakure planned to crush Konoha and join Otogakure in an assault, despite Temari’s concerns about war.
• Temari attacked Shikamaru Nara after he lay lazily in the arena, and he dodged while explaining that he did not want to hit a woman.
• Temari recognized Shikamaru’s Shadow Imitation Technique and marked what she believed was its maximum range.
• Shikamaru waited for the setting sun to lengthen the wall’s shadow, extending his technique beyond Temari’s marked safety line.
• Temari realized Shikamaru had been waiting for the sun to set, then Kankuro warned her to look up at a ninja jacket drifting down beneath a parachute.

Shikamaru defeated Temari by forcing her into his Shadow Imitation Technique’s range, then surrendered because he could not sustain the technique, giving her the win. Sasuke’s match against Gaara began, and Sasuke’s speed overwhelmed Gaara’s defenses as he shattered the Sand Armor.

• Shikamaru trapped Temari by revealing that his Shadow Imitation Technique reached farther than she had believed, then surrendered when using it became too exhausting.
• Shiranui Genma declared Temari the winner, while Tenten joked to Ino that Shikamaru’s strategy resembled courting a girl.
• Shiranui Genma announced Sasuke’s match against Gaara, and Gaara ignored Baki’s reminder to follow the battle plan as he entered the arena.
• Sasuke dodged the shuriken thrown back by Gaara’s Sand Clone, destroyed the clone, and attacked Gaara’s real body.
• Sasuke moved too quickly for Gaara’s sand defense to keep up and struck Gaara hard enough to crack his Sand Armor.

Sasuke interrupted Gaara’s transformation during their fight, disrupting the Sand Shinobi’s plans until Yakushi Kabuto began the Konoha Crush with a genjutsu and signal flare. As the invasion unfolded, Temari and Kankuro carried the injured, chakra-depleted Gaara away, and Sasuke pursued them after Shiranui Genma told him the Chunin Exams had become a real battle.

• Kankuro worried that Sasuke’s dominance would distract Gaara from the invasion plan, which called for Gaara to attack the stands while the Sound and Sand forces struck Konoha.
• Gaara encased himself in the Desert Wave, but Sasuke pierced it with Chidori, injuring Gaara and interrupting his transformation.
• Yakushi Kabuto cast the Genjutsu: Nirvana Temple Technique over the arena, while the Kazekage confronted the Third Hokage and a signal flare launched the attacks on Konoha.
• Temari and Kankuro entered the arena and tried to lead Gaara away, but Baki ordered them to withdraw with him and promised to hold Shiranui Genma back.
• Shiranui Genma told Sasuke the Chunin Exams were over and the conflict was now a real battle, and Sasuke pursued Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

Temari and Kankuro hid with Gaara in an evacuated house, but Sasuke tracked them there and confronted them. Meanwhile, Orochimaru revealed himself as the Kazekage and trapped the Third Hokage inside the Four Violet Flames Formation; Jiraiya prepared to get Kurenai Yuhi while the Hokage faced Orochimaru alone.

• Temari chose an evacuated house where she, Kankuro, and Gaara could hide and let Gaara recover his Chakra.
• Sasuke used the Heart of Animal Language to question animals, traced the Sand Shinobi to their hiding place, and burst into the house.
• Orochimaru revealed his disguise as the Kazekage and trapped himself and the Third Hokage inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
• Danzo silently left the arena, and the Third Hokage accepted that he would face Orochimaru alone.
• Jiraiya tried to disrupt the barrier with the Swamp of the Underworld, but Orochimaru reinforced the ground and restored it.
• The Third Hokage told Jiraiya to find Kurenai Yuhi and prepare to fight Orochimaru.

Sasuke exposed Kankuro’s disguise and followed Temari to Gaara’s hiding place, while Jiraiya searched for Kurenai Yuhi to help break the barrier. The chapter ended with Sasuke confronting Gaara and Jiraiya heading to Kurenai’s home.

• Sasuke noticed that the apparent Gaara showed no Chakra and realized Kankuro had disguised his puppet Crow as Gaara.
• Sasuke bound Kankuro with his Sharingan and detonated an Exploding Tag, badly injuring Kankuro and Crow.
• Temari hid Kankuro and led Sasuke toward Gaara’s hiding place, unaware Sasuke was following her.
• Sasuke entered Gaara’s room and confronted him as Temari was stunned and Gaara’s eyes grew fervent.
• Jiraiya asked Might Guy and Kakashi about Kurenai Yuhi, learned her address, and went to her home.

Jiraiya rescued Kurenai Yuhi from Orochimaru’s ambush and sent her to join the fight at the arena while he confronted the Three-Headed Giant Snake. As the invasion continued, Asuma ordered Sakura to hide with Naruto and protect him, leaving her facing Naruto’s questions about the chaos outside.

• Jiraiya found Kurenai Yuhi bound and gagged in her wardrobe, freed her, and learned that Orochimaru had ambushed her that morning.
• Jiraiya explained the battle and the Four Violet Flames Formation to Kurenai Yuhi, then told her to find Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and the others at the arena.
• Seeing Ibiki and Anko Mitarashi’s squad overwhelmed by the Three-Headed Giant Snake, Jiraiya summoned Gamahiro and joined the fight.
• Sakura dispelled the Nirvana Temple Technique and found Asuma fighting Sound Shinobi.
• Asuma ordered Sakura to go to the waiting room and protect Naruto, telling her that something important inside him had to be safeguarded.
• Sakura reached Naruto, who immediately asked her what was happening outside and whether Sasuke and Gaara’s fight was over.

After learning that the invasion had turned the Chunin Exam into a war, Naruto and Sakura rushed to find Sasuke, who faced Gaara as he transformed into a monstrous creature. Sasuke escaped Gaara’s first attack, saw civilians injured in the destruction, and confronted the monster with his Sharingan and Flame Armor.

• Sakura told Naruto that the Sand and Sound Shinobi had attacked, the Hokage had been kidnapped, and Sasuke had pursued Gaara.
• Naruto ran out to save Sasuke, and Sakura followed him despite Asuma’s orders to stay hidden.
• Temari tried to protect Gaara and remind him of the battle plan, but Gaara struck her aside and began transforming.
• Gaara became a half-human, half-beast monster and smashed through a building while Sasuke escaped through a window.
• Falling debris struck an elderly civilian as his grandson cried beside him, and Sasuke’s fear turned to hatred.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and Flame Armor, then stepped out to face the monster directly.

Sasuke fought Possessed Gaara, whose body evolved again and grew powerful enough to threaten nearby civilians. Neji Hyuga arrived to save a mother and daughter, and Sasuke and Neji lured Gaara toward the northern forest as he pursued them.

• Sasuke struck Possessed Gaara with Chidori, but Gaara laughed, healed his severed claw, and grew a massive tail.
• Possessed Gaara launched a devastating attack that destroyed the rooftop, forcing Sasuke to dodge and recognize the danger to civilians.
• Sasuke rushed to save a crying girl from Gaara’s next charge, while Neji Hyuga used Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Spin to reflect the attack and protect the girl’s mother.
• Sasuke supported the injured Neji, learned he had been patrolling with Hyuga Hiashi, and decided to draw Gaara toward the northern forest.
• Sasuke and Neji evaded Gaara’s returning shuriken and fled toward the forest as Gaara pursued them, destroying buildings along the way.

Sasuke and Neji fought Possessed Gaara after witnessing civilians die, but Gaara’s complete transformation left Sasuke trapped and facing a fatal blow. Naruto arrived just in time to kick Gaara away and save him.

• Sasuke and Neji reached the forest as Possessed Gaara’s attack killed civilians, and Sasuke cursed the monster while Neji urged him not to blame others.
• Sasuke attacked Gaara with Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, but Gaara endured the flames and continued fighting.
• Neji used the Byakugan to examine Gaara’s mixed Chakra, then defended against the monster’s Sand Shuriken with Heavenly Spin.
• Gaara fully transformed into a giant raccoon dog and overwhelmed Neji’s defense with a barrage of sand shuriken.
• Sasuke used his last Chidori and struck Gaara’s shoulder, but sand trapped his hand as Gaara prepared to crush him.
• Naruto dropped from the sky and kicked Gaara away, freeing Sasuke.

Naruto and his allies confronted Gaara after he transformed into a monstrous sand creature, and Gaara targeted Sasuke and trapped Sakura. Sasuke struck back with Chidori, but Gaara began regenerating before Naruto could free Sakura.

• Sakura joined Sasuke, and Neji explained to Naruto that the monster was Gaara.
• Gaara attacked Sasuke, but Neji shielded the group with Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation and collapsed from exhaustion.
• Sakura stepped in front of Sasuke, prompting Gaara to seize her and pin her against a tree.
• Gaara taunted Naruto and threatened to crush Sakura unless Naruto fought him, while Naruto struggled with fear and anger.
• Sasuke surprised Gaara with Chidori, then ordered Naruto to rescue Sakura and moved Neji to safety.
• Naruto could not budge Gaara’s giant sand claw and realized Gaara was regenerating.

Naruto recognized his own loneliness in Gaara and understood that Gaara’s self-centered struggle could not make him truly strong. After Sasuke urged him to save Sakura and protect their comrades, Naruto rallied and summoned over a thousand Shadow Clones to face Gaara.

• Gaara recovered from Chidori and unleashed a sandstorm attack that knocked Naruto and Sasuke away while Sakura remained unconscious.
• Naruto recalled his lonely childhood and the people who had accepted him, realizing that Gaara was still trapped in isolation.
• Sasuke attacked Gaara, then pulled Naruto behind a tree and told him to rescue Sakura and escape with Neji while Sasuke held Gaara off.
• Naruto concluded that protecting the people he loved was the source of true strength and vowed to protect everyone.
• Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to fill the forest with more than a thousand clones.

Naruto summoned Gamabunta to fight Shukaku after Gaara transformed into the giant tailed beast and trapped Naruto in sand. As Gamabunta and Shukaku battled, Sasuke watched for a chance to intervene and climbed onto Gamabunta after Shukaku knocked him down.

• Naruto and his clones battered Gaara, but Gaara grew furious and transformed into the giant Shukaku of the Sand.
• Shukaku trapped Naruto with sand, and Naruto summoned Gamabunta to save himself and face the beast.
• Gamabunta severed Shukaku's arm, while Gaara emerged from Shukaku's forehead and activated the Feigning Sleep Technique.
• Shukaku fully awakened and attacked Gamabunta with Wind Release, while Gamabunta countered with Water Release.
• Shukaku struck Gamabunta with a second Drill Air Bullet, and Sasuke rushed to the fallen toad and leaped onto his head.

Sasuke and Gamabunta defeated Shukaku by striking Gaara and forcing the beast back into sleep. Naruto stopped Sasuke from killing the helpless Gaara, but Sasuke severed Gaara’s arm before leaving with Sakura.

• Sasuke used Fire Style to counter Shukaku’s Wind Style while Gamabunta drew its attention.
• Gamabunta hurled Sasuke at Shukaku, and Sasuke pierced its forehead with Flame Armor and Chidori as Gamabunta pinned its tail.
• Gaara awoke, Shukaku lost its form and crumbled, and Gamabunta disappeared after reaching his limit.
• Sasuke tried to kill the injured Gaara, but Naruto stood between them and pleaded for Gaara’s life.
• Sasuke relented on killing Gaara but cut off his right arm, then helped Sakura and left for Neji.